I Hate Teenage Drama
by samuraistar
Summary: From hormone-addled teenage boys to manhating waterbending teachers, Riku & Ame have a lot of crap to put up with if they want to stay together! Usual pairings, plus new character and new pairing!
1. Prologue: GrownUp Talk

Whassup, readers? I _told_ you I wouldn't leave you! Writing is my life!

Okay, this story won't be as epic and exciting as "Riku's Rain" was; it falls more into the high school-type stuff, and I know some of you may not enjoy fics like that, but let me explain: This story is a bunch of scenarios (most of which have to do with Ame) that I've had in my head for a super-long time and would surely go mad if I didn't get 'em all down! So it's more of doing myself a favor than anything else; if y'all happen to like it, then great!

I guess it's sort of a belated Valentine's Day fic, since it takes place close to it, but you know how it is when you try to write a fic on a holiday --'. Anyway, hope you enjoy this!

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_"And all is lit by candlelight amid the falling snow."_—Enya, _Amid the Falling Snow_, from her "Amarantine" album

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_**Title: I Hate Teenage Drama **_

**Summary**: From hormone-addled teenage boys to manhating waterbender teachers, Riku and Ame have a lot of crap to put up with if they want to stay together! Featuring ANOTHER CHARACTER'S RETURN and ANOTHER NEW CHARACTER! 

_**Prologue: Grown-Up Talk**_  
_On the other side of the veil, where the spirits of the dead and deities dwell, a young woman stood sadly watching the main island of the humble group of islands where her only child lived with the woman's mother. She was waiting for her husband to finish his meeting with one of the Spirit Councils. This Council presided in the world of the dead of this area and were specifically named the Council of Seven—seven angels of higher spiritual authority that served under the Higher Powers of Heaven. _

The young woman sighed and rubbed her bare arms; she wondered what was going on back there as her watery-silver-blue hair floated. Because of who she was, she could visit any spirit world she wished—she usually liked to hang out in the rainforest spirit world where the spirits of trees, plants and animals lived—but the Higher Powers drew the line at the physical world; after 16 years of death, she had no reason to go haunting people now.

Her husband's case was different; he was a guardian angel and with wings to boot. Guardian angels were endowed with special power and privilege and had more access to higher authorities…Of course, the woman was the very daughter of the Water Spirit, so she was lucky to have the Council hear her case, but she didn't understand why they had to send her out. It must've been a guardian angel thing. She couldn't become one herself yet simply because she was still too preoccupied with her own earthly life to help any mortal soul. To be able to help another, you had to be stable in yourself so that you could focus entirely on your mortal charge; you had to have no qualms, no doubrs, no hesitations of any kind. But Mizuko Megami-Yoake had a very big qualm, one that left a hole in her, spirit though she was.

She still missed her daughter terribly and today, feared greatly for her. Nik had flown home to her last night and was allowed to share with her that their daughter was about to undergo another challenge, worse than any villain. He was forbidden to tell her exactly what that challenge was, but it was enough to send Mizuko flying straight to her mother, who then summoned the Council to hear her out. Now she was waiting behind the veil that separated her from the island she was staring at while her husband Nik fanagled with the angels of the Seven.

Finally, she felt the sweep of wind behind her as her husband's wings announced his presence beside her.

"Nik!" she breathed a sigh of relief, "What took so long? What did they say?"

Nik folded his silvery white wings with an expression that said bad news.

"I'm sorry, honey," he said and shook his head quietly, "This is a personal challenge; there's nothing we can do for her."

"Why not?" she asked in near panic, "Why can't we help her? Don't they understand what's going to happen?"

"They understand perfectly well," said Nik gently as he held her shoulders, "That's why we can't do anything, Mizuko. We're too personally involved."

_**"Involved?" **__she said loudly, "Of __**course**__ we're involved! We're her parents, Nik! Doesn't that count for something?" _

"Of course it does, honey," he said, "but don't you see? As parents, we want more than anything to protect our child from the evils of the world. But how many of us actually can? Everyone born on the earth is bound to go through some trials and ordeals in their life and nothing any parent does can change that. All we can do is prepare them for it through our wisdom and love. And besides that, honey…(his voice softened)…we're dead. We can't stay attached to the earthly world anymore; it's time to come to terms and let go of the past."

Mizuko looked helplessly in her husband's eyes and burst into tears.

"I know it hurts," said Nik as he held her, "I miss her, too…but we have to move on."

"You're right," she relented, "I know. I just can't stand to just sit here while our daughter goes through this!"

"How many challenges have we watched her go through before without helping her?" he reminded her, "Remember when she was snatched away from her troop campsite by bandits and held captive in a snow cave for two days?"

"Yes." Mizuko's eyes shone with pride. "She took them down all by herself."

"And at 13 years old, no less!" he beamed, "And what about her first waterbending recital? No one from our side helped her for that, and she passed with flying colors!"

Mizuko smiled and nodded.

"So you see, Mimi?" Nik wrapped an arm around his wife and called her by his nickname for her, "We can't always be there to pick her up when she falls down. It's like I always say: Children need to be free to lead their own lives."

"_You__ always say that?" she raised an eyebrow. _

"All right, you got me," he grinned, "Your mother told me that; she heard it from a friend of hers." She rolled her eyes.

"But anyway," Nik continued, "there is one thing we can do for Ame." Her eyes brightened. "The Council has allowed us to go down to her while she's asleep and grant her strength to meet the challenge. Would you like that?"

She threw her arms around him in answer.

"I'd love it, Nik!" she said, "Let's go!"

"Hold on," he said, "I've got an idea…"

As Ame slept peacefully in her bed under her domed ceiling window, the moonlight intensified its shine on her aura. She breathed deep, feeling strength and love from her mother seep into her subconsciously. With the dawn came the mighty waterbender's strength of her father before she ever woke to acknowledge it.

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**Author's Review:**  
As I said before, this story's not going to be epic and exciting like "Riku's Rain" was; it's mostly just a string of Ame/Riku scenarios that I've had in my head for a while, so that's pretty much all this story is. 

(Story Spoiler!) ANOTHER CHARACTER WILL RETURN! AND THERE'LL BE A NEW CHARACTER AND A NEW PAIRING!!! AAAAAH!!! (runs away)


	2. Water Lillies or The New Coach

In honor of the coming-out movie Horton Hears A Who, the quote for this chapter will be from the book/movie

In honor of the movie _Horton Hears A Who,_ the quote for this chapter will be from the book/movie! Yay!

A little note: This is like your classic high school drama crap, only a little different…duh. Moving on!

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_"A person's a person, no matter how small."—_Jim Carrey as Horton, _Horton Hears A Who_

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**Chapter 1: Water Lilies or The New Coach: She's Got The Look**

"COWABUNGA!"

The girls laughed as Saila cannon-balled off the low dive and splashed everyone she could. The swim team was out in the pool for their morning swim time before classes started and they were taking turns on the diving boards.

"Ame!" yelled one of the girls, "Do your waterbending ball!"

"I don't know," said the waterbender, "I don't want to get in trouble…"

"Oh, come on!" said Saila as she swam over, "We love your waterbending ball!"

"We won't tell!" said two twins.

"Okay," Ame smiled, "but just this once!" Quick as she could, she made the water carry her up and out of the pool, shinnied up the ladder to the high dive, hopped a few times on the board, jumped, and curled into a fetal position with a big smile on her face screaming, "WATERBENDING BALL!"

The splash that resulted was like an exploding tidal wave and scattered the screaming swimmers in a wave of giggles and splashes. Ame was swirled around underwater in jet streams of tiny little bubbles like a rag doll tossed about in the washing machine. She laughed underwater and swam swiftly up to rejoin her friends, who were laughing their heads off.

"I always get a kick out of that!" piped Tincey, a girl with green hair.

_FWEET!_ The girls all spun around to see two adults soaked to the skin—a man with a gray hoodie and a woman with a Chuck Norris T-shirt, a whistle in her mouth, and a stone look on her face.

"Holy crap," Ame muttered, then shouted, "Sorry, Coach!" She drew the water off the two adults.

"Thank you," said the lady coach drily, "All right, ladies! Float your little tushies down this way! I've got someone for you all to meet!"

They swam to where she and the man stood and leaned on the edge at their feet.

"Ladies," said Coach Lily, "this is our new Assistant Coach, Mr. Bevilaqua. He's from Rocky Island and he just moved here, so make him feel welcome!"

Ame grinned inwardly; Mr. Bevilaqua was one of the most fun names she'd ever heard. A sideways glance told her that Lini thought the same.

At her command, the water under them swelled and lifted them to the ground.

"Mr. Bevilaqua," Coach Lily chirped, "the Destiny High Ladies' Swim Team! Destiny High Ladies' Swim Team, Mr. Bevilaqua!"

"Welcome to Destiny High, Mr. Bevilaqua!" they said in unison.

"Pleased to meet you, ladies," he smiled, "Coach Lily _told_ me she had a team of delightful water lilies, no joke intended. At ease."

"Go on, girls," Coach Lily waved off, "Show off your specialties for Mr. Bevilaqua!" She blew her whistle and the girls jumped back in with their own fancy moves.

"This way, Mr. Bevilaqua," said the coach as they walked along the pool, "You know, of course, that here at Destiny High, we take particular pride in our lady swimmers."

"I see why," he nodded as he watched the girls swimming, "especially that pink-haired angel."

"That's Saila," said the coach, "a freshman. She's our best speed swimmer because she's so small. A ray of sunshine, that one."

"And that purple beauty?" he pointed out Lini by the high dive.

"My daughter, Lini," she answered, swelling with pride, "The captain of the team as well as our best diver. She's a Junior and a genius with tactics. We've never lost a tournament of a meet with her as captain. And I see you've pretty much met Ame Megami."

"Megami?" he looked surprised at her, "Not as in Widow Megami?" Lily nodded.

"Her only grandchild," she answered, "Orphaned at 6 months, descended from the legendary Water Tribe on her father's side, raised and trained by a waterbending master. She's also a Junior and a real mermaid in the water, especially deep water. Very promising talent, Mr. Bevilaqua—a credit to _any_ swim team."

"You don't say," said Mr. Bevilaqua as he scratched his head curiously, watching the beautiful young lady swim like…well, like a mermaid, just as Lily had said!

"As a matter of fact," she continued, "Ame assisted Lini with her winning dive in the last meet. Lini is an elegant and perfect diver and Ame's little water tricks can add a little flair. Allow me. Hey, Lini! Ame!"

The two girls paused by the high dive. Lini was about to climb the ladder and Ame was sitting by it with her feet in the water, bending a little stream for fun.

"Yes, Coach?" said Ame as she let the stream fall back into the water.

"Why don't you two ladies show Mr. Bevilaqua that Grinch dive we won with last week?" she said.

"Sure!" Lini climbed up the ladder and Ame stood up by the pool to watch her. Lini stood at the end of the diving board with her arms stretched out at her sides.

"She's planning a double-twisted, interrupted, forward-flying two-and-a-half with a combo tuck and pike," she muttered, "High degree of difficulty." She squatted, then jumped and spun. Ame sent up two streams that rose when she jumped and flew around her when she spun and flipped twice, then fell beside her as she dove straight into the water.

"That's amazing!" said Mr. Bevilaqua, dumbfounded, "I've never seen anything like it!"

"Well, you've never seen a waterbender," said the voice of a young man. He turned his head to be greeted with long, blue-silver hair and bright blue eyes.

"Hi there, Riku," Coach Lily smiled, "You here for Ame?"

"If it's not terribly inconvenient," he nodded with a smile.

"Save that charm for the mermaids, Riku," Lily smirked, "I'm sure they'll surrender their princess."

"Thanks, Coach," said Riku as he walked to the pool.

"And that young man is…?" asked Mr. Bevilaqua.

"Riku Hakari," she answered, "Ame's boyfriend and fellow Junior."

"Riku," he mused, "Is he the one with the Keyblade I've heard about?"

"One of them," said Coach Lily, "He's Sora's best friend."

"Man…" Mr. Bevilaqua shook his head. "You've got your hands full with such great heroes and top-notch swimmers."

"Every day is an adventure here at Destiny High, Mr. Bevilaqua," she nodded as she watched Riku with the girls, "You'll get used to it after a while."

"I look forward to it, Coach," said Mr. Bevilaqua.

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(Right before lunch…)

"Dang, man," said one guy to his friend, "Check out that hot chick!"

"Who?" his friend asked, "The purple-head?"

"No, no," he answered, "The one with the long hair next to her! See?"

"Oh, yeah," said the friend uncomfortably.

"I'm gonna go ask her out," said the first guy confidently.

"Dude!" his friend freaked, "Are you crazy? Don't you know who that is? That's Ame Megami, Granda's granddaughter!"

"So?"

"So, she's also Riku's girlfriend!"

He froze; _Riku?_ He'd heard about Riku.

"Um…" he said, "Let's go have lunch."

"Ame, I want you to meet someone," said Lini, "He's really fun!"

"You know I'm taken, right?" said Ame.

"Oh, I don't mean that kind of meet," she waved off, "Here."

Lini led her over to a boy their age sitting on a bench against the wall wearing big headphones and shuffling through some CDs. He had shaggy ginger hair, bright green eyes, and a sweet, innocent-looking face that reminded Ame of the Child Spirit of the Wind.

He caught Lini in the corner of his eye and pushed his headphones down to his neck with a smile.

"Lini, what a pleasure!" he greeted, "Back for another following?"

"Hi, DJ," said Lini, "Actually, I wanted you to meet a friend of mine."

"Ah," he said, "One of your mermaids, is it?"

"Yep," she nodded, "DJ, this is Ame Megami. Ame, this is Daniel Jones—we call him DJ."

"Pleased to meet you, DJ," Ame said with a quick curtsey.

"Likewise, Ms. Ame," he stood and held her hand up politely, "This may not surprise you, but I know your grandma well. She sold a radio station to my dad, the mixed contemporary station; that was the break of his life."

"I'm so glad she did that," Ame smiled, "It sounds like your dad's doing well!"

"Rolling in dough is more like it," said the boy, "and someday I'll inherit the station in his place. But enough about me! What can I do for you ladies?"

"I'd like to buy Ame a following," said Lini as she rummaged in her bag for her wallet, "She's going upstairs to Ms. Blair's for Theatre Arts. How much?"

"Well, normally it's about five dollars," he said, "But for Granda's kin, I'll knock it down to 3.50."

"Thanks!" said Lini. Ame had no idea what was going on.

"What's a following?" she asked.

"Oh," said Lini, "People pay DJ to follow them around the school playing music for them, like a theme song. You know how in the movies they have theme music, or like one of those baditude moments when the tough girl steps out of her car? DJ gives us theme music like that for real life. I'll show you. DJ, give her a strut—a Roxette strut, if you know what I mean."

"You got it!" DJ pulled out a CD and stuck it in his boombox. After putting all his CDs back in his bag, he lifted the boombox in his arms, facing it forward.

"Now start walking," Lini instructed Ame, "And be cool."

"Uh…okay." Ame walked next to Lini with DJ following behind as Roxette's "She's Got The Look" started up. Ame blushed a bit; a music lover herself, Ame knew this was one of those "strut your stuff" girl-songs.

"Come on, girl! Strut!" Lini grinned.

"Lini, do you really think I need this kind of attention right now?" she mumbled, "I mean, guys have been hitting on me lately, and I don't want to make any female enemies…"

"Oh, Ame!" said Lini, "Quit worrying about it! Live a little! Whatever happens, you'll deal with it! Besides, every girl here's done this at least twice! Go on, girlfriend!"

Ame couldn't help but grin; she did like this song, after all, and soon found herself feeling like a movie star (out of an 80's flick, pfft!). After she met up with Kairi and Riku, DJ just followed Lini the rest of the way to _her_ class.

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**Author's Review:**  
LOL! I've always wanted to do that: Hire some guy to follow me down the street playing "She's Got The Look" on a boombox! That would be so rad! DJ's a little cutie guy, slightly modeled after 7-year-old Eichi Sakurai from "Full Moon." (love-love!) I hope you like him!

I also hope you like Mr. Bevilaqua, whose name is derived from "Seinfeld," the episode "The Big Race." When Jerry was in high school, Mr. Bevilaqua was the gym teacher; it's a great episode! Now, then: MY Mr. Bevilaqua is a kind of in-and-out character in this story with a bit of an agenda of his own, but don't worry—he's a good guy. I just don't know what he's gonna do yet…actually I do know what he'll do in a couple of later chapters, since I'm handwriting it first, but I don't know what his ultimate value in the story will be. Just help me keep an eye on him, okay? ;)

Okay, movie references: The way Coach Lily described the swimmers is a reference to the new version of "Phantom of the Opera," when Madame Giry is talking about her ballerinas. Madame Giry ROCKS! If you watch it carefully enough in the beginning, when Mr. Lefevre is calling the meeting to tell them he's retiring, and he calls for Madame Giry, SHE'S STRETCHING HER LEG ON THE POLE! She's like in her 50's and can still stretch her legs like that!! And the way she does it is all like "I'm cool," 'CAUSE SHE IS! (…) Ahem, moving on…

The Grinch dive is precisely that—the Grinch dive that the Grinch does in the Grinch movie!

Oh, and a little note: I SAW HORTON HEARS A WHO DURING SPRING BREAK!! Whoever else has seen it, review and tell me so we can compare notes! ;D

Oh, and one more thing…this is actually kinda sad…

_**I have to go on a **__**temporary**__** hiatus for about a month; I'm about to undergo a medical procedure that will leave me doped up on pain killers and on bedrest for a while, so this might possibly be the last chapter of any story you get from me for a bit. BUT I PROMISE I WILL BE BACK BECAUSE YOU GUYS ROCK MY SOCKS!!**_

So don't panic, okay? And tell me if you've seen the before-mentioned movie, 'cause I'm on a Horton High!!

'Til Next Time,  
-samuraistar


	3. Cheesy Poetry

I've returned, my beloved readers/reviewers/co-authors! And oh, how I've missed you all! Thank you for your encouraging PMs, even though I didn't get to read them until yesterday. :S Anywho, I'm back online with a new chapter, in which Ame gets a nasty surprise!

Enjoy, and read and review!

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_"Let everybody know that before the day is out, there'll be a wedding! Or a hanging…either way, we ought to have a lot of fun, huh?"_—Prince John, _Robin Hood: Men In Tights_

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**Chapter 2: Cheesy Poetry**  
In the middle of Ame's class, they heard a tap on the window. The teacher opened it and a small white bird with a corn-gold beak flew in. After circling the room twice, it landed on Ame's desk.

"Oh!" she said, surprised and with a slight blush. The bird dropped a small scroll and flew suddenly back out the window. Ame picked it up curiously, aware of the questioning stares of her classmates.

"Miss Megami?" asked the teacher.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Blair," Ame bowed her head, "I didn't know about this."

"Okay, then." As the teacher continued the lesson, Ame unrolled the scroll under her desk with Riku watching curiously. She read it and her face froze up with a funny anime-styled wide-eyed face where her mouth was a straight l ine and her forehead had thin blue lines.

She sat up straight with the letter crumpled in her fists between her knees. Riku wondered what the matter was but knew better than to ask during class time.

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"MASTER HANA'S COMING TO VISIT NEXT WEEK!" she freaked out later to Kairi and Sora at a table outside the cafeteria. The two were having snacks; Ame couldn't eat hers, so Sora was picking off bites to see if she'd notice. (She didn't.)

"Master Hana?" said Kairi, releasing the straw in her juicebox, "You mean your waterbending teacher?"

"Yes!" Ame had her hands over her eyes, her face turned upward, and she was pacing.

"Isn't that a good thing?" asked Sora, "I mean, didn't she raise you and teach you and all that?"

"Yeah," said Ame, "but that's not the problem. Didn't I tell you about Master Hana?"

"Tell me what about Master Hana?" he asked.

_"She hates men!"_ she freaked out with her arms rapidly waving around and a z-line blush, "She's a female chauvinist! Feminist, femme fatale, man-hater, whatever you call it! She's anti-male!"

Sora and Kairi stared at her for a minute.

"So she doesn't like guys," said Sora, "So what?" Ame dropped her forehead into her hands with a loud smack.

"So she's not gonna be happy if she finds out that 3 of my closest friends are boys!" she sputtered, "Do you know what she'd do to you? To me? To _Riku?_ Holy crap, if she ever found out about Riku…"

"But Riku's your boyfriend," said Kairi, "Wouldn't she accept the guy you love, if not your friends?"

"I doubt it," Ame looked down sadly, "She'd probably hate him even more."

"What about your grandma?" Sora said through a mouthful of noodles, "I know she's gone on business, but couldn't she send a message ordering that your guy friends be left alone?"

"I wish it was that easy," she shook her head, "If Granda's not around, she won't listen to anyone. I don't think she'd even listen to Dharma, let alone Ichi-san. She'd probably kill him."

Without thinking, she'd picked up Riku's jacket that he'd let her borrow. It was February and unusually cold for the islands (well, it was Feb. when I _wrote_ this). She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply; it smelled just like his cologne, whatever it was, and brought her a little comfort.

Almost randomly, a small white envelope fluttered at her feet. It was sealed with a pink heart sticker and had her name on it.

"What's that, Ame?" Kairi asked as she hopped off the table. Ame sighed a puff of cold air and turned around, draping the jacket around herself.

"I know what it is," she said with her eyes closed, "It's another stupid love letter from some nameless jerk I don't even know."

Kairi picked it up and opened it. She laughed into her hand.

"Listen to this!" she said, "'_Roses are red, picnics have ants, please be my date for the Valentine's dance!'"_

Ame had to giggle a bit at that, especially at Sora's infectious smile. How could Master Hana hate someone as sweet as him?

"What loser sent a cornball poem like that?" said Sora.

"Dennis!" Kairi said, dumbfounded.

"From the lacrosse team?" asked Ame, remembering him from picking on Selphie at the Prom (I guess they had their prom around Christmas time?).

"Yeah," said Kairi, "but I don't get it. Everyone knows you're dating Riku."

"It didn't stop _them_, though," said Ame darkly, "Everyone knows, but no one seems to care."

"Except _our_ friends," said Sora as he held up his chopsticks and bowl of noodles, "The swim team, the drama club, the flag twirlers, not to mention the football team."

"The football team?" asked Ame.

"Yeah," said Kairi, "Tidus is the captain. We've been friends with him since we were in diapers. And Yuna's on the flag twirlers."

Ame pulled Riku's jacket closer around her and blushed a pencil line across her nose.

"I shouldn't need organized support to fend off suitors," she said even more darkly, "The fact that I'm attached to the person I want to be with should be enough…but it isn't."

"Um…Ame?" Sora could see her aura darkening. "Are you okay?" She snapped out of it, looked at him, and scratched behind her head.

"I'm sorry," she chuckled with a blush, "I'm brooding again, aren't I?" Sora grinned and rubbed her head.

"Hey, don't worry about it," he beamed.

"So, Ame…" said a trying-to-be-suave voice behind her, "How'd you like my little invite?"

"I don't know," she said stonily, "I didn't read it. Kairi did, though; why don't you ask her?"

"I thought it was funny," Kairi beamed cutely.

"That's not the point!" said Dennis.

"No, it's not," said Ame as she spun to face him, "The point is that I didn't read it and I'm not going to the dance with you. I'm going with Riku—you know, my boyfriend?"

"Just because he's your boyfriend doesn't mean you love him," he said, "This is high school; people date and break up like it's a bodily function."

"Why don't you tell that to Riku?" she countered with narrowed eyes and folded arms.

"Don't think I won't," he said meanly. Sora didn't like the way he was talking to her.

"Hey, Riku!" he said brightly, "You're just in time!"

Dennis froze; Riku was right behind him!

"For what, may I ask?" he smiled. Kairi walked to him.

"Dennis here has something to tell you," she said with a hand on her hip, "Don't you, Dennis?"

"Yeah," said Sora, "Something about taking his girlfriend to the dance and to heck with Riku. Wasn't that it, Dennis?"

The boy swallowed.

"Actually," Ame picked up, "I think Dennis has said all he's been able to and was just leaving." She flipped her forefinger from where her arms were folded and Dennis seized up like a nutcracker. A circular motion of her finger and he was walking away like a soldier.

While Riku and the others laughed, Ame scowled after Dennis. She then gave an outcry of frustration, grabbed the letter, and tore it up. Riku stopped laughing.

"What's wrong, Ame?" he asked. She looked a little ashamed of herself now.

"I just want to be left alone," she said, "to be with my friends and family. I'm just not used to this kind of attention."

Riku smiled at her, stroked her head, and held her close.

"I know," he said, "but think of it this way: You are so awesome and so beautiful that every guy in school wants to go out with you. Right, DJ?"

_Everybody wants her,_ DJ was playing, _everybody loves her!_

Ame smiled up at her boyfriend with a soft blush.

"Come on," he said as he put an arm around her, "Let's get out of here."

They all walked away together with DJ playing an old song behind them all the way to Riku's car.

_When you're in love with a beautiful woman,  
it never ends!_

Just before he got in, Roxas paused; he seemed to sense something and looked up just in time to see the last of a black something or other sweep behind the building. He got a strange feeling and for some reason, it made him think of Ame!

He shook his head and got in the car.

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**Author's Review****:**  
That song I put in is an old…I guess R and B song; I don't know who sings it, but it's on one of those adult contemporary stations. I like those!

Anyway, yeah; a bit of the plot has to do with both Ame and Roxas, but in a way that you will definitely not expect. That's the best way I can put it, and that's all I can tell you…at least, until the next chapter!

And that cheesy poem is something I once heard on "As Told By Ginger." And it was February when I wrote this chapter, so…yeah. It's cold on the islands right now, which is very unusual.

Hope you enjoyed this! Later! Love ya!


	4. Bar Fight

'Sup, my hip young parsons? I too am so young and hip that I drink my yogurt through a tube! Actually, I drink my yogurt from these little 3-ounce bottles with a monkey on them! ^_^

Okay, little heads-up here: This chapter is a little bizarre, almost random. The parts in italics are from another KH story I started to write but didn't finish and don't plan to finish. This particular happening was just such good writing (IMHO) that I couldn't make myself discard it and live with myself (I'd have to move out! GET IT?)

So please enjoy Ame's dream and all that ensues! And please review!

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_"(Bill Cosby) was my favorite comedian and the first black actor to star in a series. But to me, he was the first adult on TV to wear sneakers on a regular basis."—_Jerry Seinfeld, from his book "Seinlanguage"

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**Chapter 3: Bar Fight**  
That night, Ame had a dream…

She was standing in a bar against a wall in the dark. She looked next to her and jumped slightly; standing next to her in the dark of the bar, in all his black-coated glory, was someone she knew only from Sora's crystal story.

Axel!

_'Just my luck they send me to Lowlife Central,' Axel thought sourly as he stared into space from the shadows next to the bar counter with his hood off._

"Huh?" Ame raised an eyebrow and looked at him. He didn't see her, but she could hear his every thought! She stayed still and took in the story unfolding before her.

_'Think you're any better than them?' said a voice in the back of his head. Axel shook it out and got back to business, a necessary yet unpleasant task…_

_Recruitment._

_Thanks to Sora's escapade in Castle Oblivion, (with several of Axel's little stunts) membership in the Organization was despairingly low. He'd earned the gratitude of its higher authorities, but there was no time for him to bask in his glory; there were seats to fill and hearts to collect._

_Not that he cared; a pat on the back and the boss' you-did-good speech was enough for him…that, and being rid of Larxene. She was_ _way too touchy-feely for his comfort, and he knew for a fact that she'd harbored an annoying schoolgirl crush on him for a long time before she fell in love with Marluxia. Evidently, her unrequited love was more important than her loyalty._

Ame had never seen Marluxia or Larxene; she only knew their names from Naminé.

_"Can I get you something, buddy?" asked the bartender in a New York accent. Axel leaned an elbow on the bar and got in close._

Ame looked closely at Axel in excitement; she was about to hear him speak! (She'd forgotten what he sounded like.)

_"Maybe you can," he said with his usual suave, "You see, I belong to an organization that's looking for people like them with dark power, a deadly signature weapon, and long hair who love to wear black. Got it memorized?"_

Ame giggled; she'd always wanted to hear him say that.

_"How 'bout him?" The man pointed to the other end of the bar where a hooded figure was sitting. His coat was similar in design to Axel's, except it was dark burgundy with gloves covering the otherwise baggy sleeves. Also like Axel's coat, the hood concealed his face completely._

Ame stared at the figure wondrously as something familiar stirred in her.

_"Hasn't said a word since he walked in," the tender broke it down, "All he said was 'water.' He whispered it too, like he lost his voice or somethin'. At least he was polite enough to nod his thanks, not like these knuckleheads in here. It's strange, you know? Never says a word or shows his face, yet he feels like an old friend to me or something. I don't know if he's the type you're lookin' for, but he looks like he could be."_

_Axel raised an eyebrow._

_"Looks like we're about to find out," he nodded to the figure's direction. Some drunkard turned him around and tried to balance himself on his own feet._

Ame gasped and blushed across her nose and cheeks.

_'Uh-oh,'_ she thought.

_"Hey, man," he half-slurred, "what's your deal, anyway? You don't talk, you don't laugh—shoot, you don't even __drink__! Who do you think you are, ordering water? You can't handle the hard stuff?" An old hobo sitting next to the figure staggered off his stool and stood by him, putting his arm between the hooded guy and his antagonist. Axel got a weird expression on his face; the bully was buzzed, but __this__ guy was __wasted__!_

Ame blushed harder and covered her mouth; she hadn't seen _this_ coming!

_'Oh, no,'_ she thought, _'This could get ugly!'_

_"Leave him alone, Jonesy!" the hobo shouted, slurring every word, "Don't you know this guy's my long lost brother, Vern?" He turned to the hooded person and held him by the arms._ (Ame dropped her face in her hands, snorted with laughter, and hated herself for it.)

_'Wait a minute,'_ she remembered, _'This is __my__ dream. What am __I__ embarrassed about?'_

_"Let's go home, Vern," he slurred in a kind voice, "Don't worry 'bout him." The hooded guy swung around the hobo to block a sucker punch from the bully._

_'Good thing I didn't blink,' thought Axel, 'I might've missed it.'_

_'Me, too,'_ thought Ame with an open mouth.

_The hooded guy put his foot in the man's gut and shoved him to the floor. He let him sit back up only to meet a beer bottle breaking in his face. He fell back down and lost consciousness; his forehead was bleeding. _Ame gasped and covered her mouth with both hands; she began to think this wasn't her dream at all. But it _had_ to be; she was asleep, so it _must_ be her dream, for all its violence and bloodiness. What happened next confirmed this.

_The hooded figure scoffed and grabbed his water bottle. He poured some of the water on the guy's face and his cut was healed in an icy blue glow of light. The bartender had come back over to their side by now watching; the hooded guy turned to him._

_"Don't apologize," the tender held up his hand, "If anything, you've done me a service; this rumhead's always causing trouble. Only good thing about him is his money!" The hooded guy nodded and turned back to the hobo, who was back on his stool._

_"Thanks, Vern," he smiled innocently, "You've always had my back." The hooded guy turned and started to walk away._

_"Vern?" the hobo called, "Where are you going?"_

_"C'mon, Everett," said the tender, "You've had enough…excitement for one night. Let's get you home."_

_"No!" he tried to struggle, "I'm supposed to take Vern home! Mother's waiting for us, I promised her! Vern!" __The hooded guy stopped with his gloved hand on the doorway; he didn't move._

_"Vern!" the hobo called sadly, "I promised her! Didn't I promise I'd look after you? Didn't I promise I'd listen for the train? I told her I wouldn't let you get hurt, didn't I, Vern?" _Ame waited tensely and quietly with her fists to herself, watching to see what the hooded person would do.

_The figure walked back through the now-quiet bar and stepped in front of Everett the hobo. He reached over and grabbed a pint glass, filling it halfway with his water; he pushed it to the broken bum wordlessly and looked at the bartender._

_"I'll make sure he drinks it all," he nodded understandingly, "Here, Everett; Vern wants you to drink this. It'll make you feel better." The old bum was so disoriented and confused (and drunk) that the tender seemed like the only trustworthy person there, so he obeyed his coaxing and drained the cup. When the last drop went down, he slouched over and fell asleep; some of the other guys caught him up._

_"Get him back to the shelter, boys," said the tender quietly, "You know the place." They nodded and slung Everett's arms around their necks gently. As they passed the figure one of them whispered, "Thanks, man." He acted like he hadn't heard him and when the door closed, he punched the nearest guy square in the jaw._

_"Hey!" he objected, drawing back to retaliate, missing because he ducked, and hitting another guy in the eye. Angered, he pounced him on a table with a beer bottle._

_"BAR FIGHT!" yelled the tender with an amused smile._

Ame jumped back to watch from a safe distance.

_As the fighting broke out, Axel tried to keep his eye on the hooded figure. Someone was sneaking up on him with a chair and he knew he was there, but before he could defend himself, the chair had water thrown on it and was frozen and shattered. Axel turned to see the hooded person near him with an outreached fist clenched; __he__ had crushed the chair. He then straightened up and sucker-punched the guy dead in the face. He looked at Axel for a moment and stood back to make way for two guys choking each other. Axel watched him as he wove and ducked through all the man traffic like water; he was leaving the bar!_ (Ame stayed as close to him as possible.)

_'He's getting away!' Axel thought urgently, 'Time to ditch this shindig.' He retreated to a dark corner, where the tender was hiding._

_"Well," he asked, laughing, "find what you were looking for?"_

_"I think so," Axel nodded, "Make sure you watch your head." While the tender ducked from a stray bottle, Axel seized his chance and left through a portal in the wall. _(Ame followed quickly after.)

_"Wonder where he went," said the tender when he got back up, "Must be hiding in the men's room; good idea."_

Ame wasn't sure if the darkness around her was Axel's portal or the dream transitioning; either way, it was both exciting and foreboding. There was something so familiar about that person, but what? The haze finally cleared and she looked around.

_The hooded figure strode swiftly down the dark street, his footsteps making the only sound apart from the muffled chaos in the bar and the water splashing in his bottle. He didn't notice Axel leaning coolly against a stone staircase pillar with his eyes closed and passed him._ (Ame followed, her eyes fixed intently on the hood, sensing that something important was about to happen.)

_"I was really impressed back there," he called, stopping him. Axel walked toward him._

_"I've never seen healing waters before," he continued, "and I believe I have you to thank for the chair intervention." The figure tilted his head away. _Ame sensed cautious apprehension and mistrust.

_"You know, you've got a lot of talent there, buddy," Axel stood in front of him, "The power to heal as well as fight, yet no way to realize your full potential. The organization I work for could help you."_

_"Thank you, but I have my own agenda," he muttered in a quiet voice. Axel was weirded out; what kind of agenda could a Nobody possibly have?_

_"And that would be…?" he asked. The hooded person sighed._

What the person said (and so quietly she couldn't tell the gender) filled Ame with wondrous awe and unbearable curiosity.

_"I'm trying to find my original self," he finally said. ("He" being a default title.)_ Ame's eyes widened and she hoped she didn't have to wake up yet.

_"Well, it just so happens that my employers are undergoing a project that could help you do just that," said Axel. _

_"Yeah, right," he scoffed in the same quiet voice._

_"It's true!" Axel insisted, "Ever heard of Kingdom Hearts?"_

_He was silent._

_"Your organization," he finally asked, "they're searching for it?"_

_"We're creating it," Axel said, "We just have some empty seats in our membership that need filling in, and you have presented me with qualities that would make you a valuable addition to Organization XIII. Interested?"_

_"I will be when I know who you are," answered the hooded figure._ Ame blushed pink with a giggle, looked up at Axel's face, and blushed harder, thinking, _'Man, this guy's hot!'_

_"Name's Axel," he said, "No. 8 of Organization XIII; got it memorized?"_ (Ame buried her face in her hands with red-faced snorts of laughter.)

_The hooded person made a half-snickering sound, lifted his hand, and threw back the hood._(so was Ame)_; a river of shoulder-length light purple hair fell down the back, framing a face almost as naturally pale as Naminé's with dark-green emerald pendulum earrings, almond-shaped, glittering dark green eyes that looked almost exotic, and crimson lips—all held up by a clean, flawless neck._ _For the first time that night, she spoke out loud in a calm, steady voice comparable to a summer breeze._ _Axel was caught by surprise._

_'Sweet merciful heavens, it's a woman,' Axel thought fleetingly. ('And_ _what a woman!'_ Ame agreed as her own hair floated, feeling engulfed by a wave of familiarity.)

_"All right, Axel," she said without smiling, "you've got yourself a recruit."_

_"And what name would my new recruit have?" he asked. _Ame watched closely; as much as she wanted to know her name, she was unprepared for what she said.

_"Talni," she answered squarely, "Talni Megami."_

Ame gasped loudly and made a surprised outcry; neither of them heard or saw her. The world swirled around her as she heard Axel's voice.

_"Pleasure to meet you, Talni," he smiled, "Welcome to Organizatoin XIII."_

"Ah!" Ame cried out as she bolted upright in her bed. She looked around panting and looked up out her skylight; the full moon was shining brightly on her, along with the diamond stars. Her trembling hands were clutching the blanket.

"Yue," she breathed to the moon spirit, "Sweet Yue above! That woman looked just like me!"

She hugged her knees tightly.

_'She said,'_ she mulled over, _'that her name was Megami! Just like me! Why would she say that? And why does she look like me, only at 25 or something, and with green eyes?'_

"There's only one answer," she said to herself as she looked up sorrowfully, "I've turned into a Heartless before! I have a Nobody!"

* * *

**Author's Review****:**

Dah-dah-DAH! I'll bet NONE of y'all were expecting THAT!

Brief little explanation concerning Everett the Hobo: In case none of y'all have guessed, when he was a person, he took his little brother Vern out to play; they lived near the train tracks, so their mother warned them to be careful. Through some unfortunate error on Everett's part, yet through no fault of his own, his little brother was hit by a train. Everett lost his mind and soon after, his heart.

Very sad mini-story, but nothing to do with the big plot. I don't know where that came from, except the deep recesses of my imagination.

So tell me whatcha think, okay? Later!


	5. Lunch Talk and Random Drama

Fantastic news, friends/readers/both! After 4 arduous weeks of having my teeth wired together, my teeth are no longer wired together! I'm starting to eat again! Yay!

In this shorter-than-usual chapter, you guys get to watch Ame beat up a guy! Guess who?

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_"There's no other way when it comes to the truth, so keep holding on."_—Avril Lavigne, _Keep Holding On_

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**Chapter 4: Lunch Talk and Random Drama**

Ame stared at her lunch that Dharma had packed for her with a glum face; after last night, she couldn't make herself eat.

"Do you really think you have a Nobody?" asked Kairi. She nodded once.

"And that's a bad thing?" added Roxas. She looked at him and blushed pink, remembering that he and Naminé had been Nobodies.

"I'm not saying it's bad," she said, "It's just…if I have a Nobody, then that means I've been turned into a Heartless before."

"Oh, that's not such a bad thing," said Sora, "All you need to do is not get destroyed."

"Does Granda know?" Riku asked.

"I don't know," she shook her head, "I'll have to ask her."

"Now tell us about the dream," Kairi suggested, "Maybe that'll have some clues."

"Okay," Ame nodded, "First off…Axel was in it."

Everyone looked at Roxas, who was choking on his milk. Sora patted him on the back to help him, but he felt almost as shocked as his twin did.

"Axel was in your dream?" Roxas managed to say before having to breathe.

"Yes," said Ame, then proceeded to recount the details of her dream.

"Wait," Roxas interrupted, "What did the woman look like?"

"Well," said she, "like me, only she must've been 25 or 26. And her hair was shorter and light purple and her eyes were this glittering dark green and—"

_"I know that girl!"_ Roxas sprang to his feet, surprising them all. Ame blinked twice in confusion with a pencil-line blush across her face.

"Of course!" Roxas continued in excitement, "I can't believe I didn't see it before! How could I forget?"

"Wait," said Ame, "You're saying you…you _know_ her?" He sat back down and was about to explain when the bell rang for class.

"We'll have to talk later," Roxas apologized, "Sorry, Ame."

"That's okay," she said, "I have a headache, anyway; I gotta process all this a bit at a time, I guess."

"Hey, no sweat," he smiled, "Just let me know when you're ready."

* * *

Ame was heading into the building from the pool when she saw Dennis in the door area harassing Selphie again!

"Come on, Selph!" he insisted, "It's just one date!"

"No!" she said, "I wouldn't go to any dance with you if you were the last boy alive! Now leave me alone!" He grabbed her wrist.

"I'm not just going to let you walk away from me, Selphie," he said threateningly.

_"Hey, Dennis the Menace!"_ Ame shouted and strode over, "Didn't you hear what she said? Leave her alone and let go of her now!"

"Or what?" he smirked, "You'll sic your Keyblade freaks on me? You gonna get your long-haired freak of a boyfriend to chase me off?" Ame stood nose-to-nose with him, glaring into his eyes.

"I don't need my boyfriend to chase you off," she said lowly, "Now let Selphie go."

"Sorry, sexy," he regained some of his stance, "I don't see why I should."

Ame leaned back with her right hand drawn back; a huge stream came flying from the pool, shattered the glass door, and (once Ame swung both hands forward at a slant) into his face with a crash as Selphie stumbled back out of the way.

Dennis hit the wall on his stomach with his arms at 90 degree angles by his head. Ame froze him that way except his hands and his head, which was spinning from the double-impact of water and wall. Ame and Selphie came over to where he could see them. Ame waved her hand and the ice melted; he slumped to the floor.

"Next time, you get your pants frozen!" Ame threatened. Selphie pulled down her bottom eyelid with a finger, closed her other eye, and stuck out her tongue. She then joined Ame in a laugh, more from relief than anything else. The waterbender magically fixed the door and the two friends left together.

"Are you okay, Selphie?" Ame asked, "Did he hurt you?"

"No, I'll be fine," she said, "Thanks for helping me, Ame. I've always wanted to see your waterbending in action!"

"Then you should come to Fountain Square this Saturday," she winked, "I'm giving a street performance there by the fountain!"

"You are?" she piped, "That's so cool!" Ame giggled and blushed.

"Thanks," she said, "It's gonna be fun, too. I also think it'll help me be more social."

"Totally!" beamed Selphie, "You bet I'll come!"

* * *

**Author's Review****:**  
Um…I got nothing this time. Questions and comments in reviews, please! See ya next time!


	6. Hairu Hanasensei Enter Master Hana

Thank you all for your lovely reviews and your supportive messages during my recovery; I'm still recovering, but it's not as critical as it was, so yay! Let's party!

This is one of the crucial chapters of the story; Avatar fans will particularly sympathize with the conflict that goes on in here, and any of you who have become Riku/Ame fans will likely freak out. So let's dance!

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_"I wasn't supposed to feel anything, yet I felt jealous of them."—_Roxas from the Kingdom Hearts 2 manga, volume 2 (I just got it at Border's! WHOO!)

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**Chapter 5: Hairu Hana-sensei (Enter Master Hana)**  
It was two days until the Valentine's Day Dance. Ame stopped dreaming about Axel and the woman who seemed to be her Nobody. Granda was still gone on business and Ansem had gone with her. Ichi-san and all the servants were kind and receptive, but she couldn't stop thinking about that girl. (She'd quite forgotten about Axel by now.)

She was thinking about her right now as she sat on the window sill part of her bed, gazing out at the beautiful view of the moon over the faraway ocean, underlined by the pine trees of her grandmother's mountain estate. She sighed.

_'I can't think just sitting here,'_ she thought, _'Granda says the mind sits with the body and moves when the body moves. I need a walk.'_

She wandered downstairs to distract herself. On the wall of the stairs she saw a door she'd never gone in before, which didn't surprise her; there were a _lot_ of doors she'd never gone in before. So she went in with a glowing light in her hand.

It was an ordinary staircase!

_'I wonder what's down here,'_ she thought as she admired the glittering delicate etchings of flowers, birds, dragons, and other things on the walls, _'Maybe it's a jewel collection. Or maybe Granda has a secret stash of sake! Or maybe she's a sociopath who keeps torture victims in a basement and hangs up their hair as trophies! Or worse…maybe she keeps all the embarrassing home movies of my baby days!'_ (She's a fool when she can't sleep --')

She gulped as it kept spiraling in a slight curve downward.

_'Oh, don't be a fool, Ame,'_ she chided herself, _'You know perfectly well Granda's never touched a drop of alcohol in her life. Besides, it's always Ichi-san that drinks sake, and it's only during fancy meals and—Hello, what's this?'_ (Her mind wanders, too.)

She had arrived at a heavy red door with a golden handle. With pounding heart, Ame held her light overhead and gripped the shiny handle; amazingly, it opened without any trouble! Even more amazing was the blinding white light that greeted her when she crept in and closed it behind her.

"What—what is this place?" she asked herself out loud as she blinked. She found herself in a fair-sized white room (one that looked like Ansem's computer lab, only white) with a bunch of computer screens on the left wall over a console built into the corner. She walked over to what looked like a Memory Pod (one of the small ones) that lay vertically with a pillow and bed mat inside. She looked up and saw another Memory Pod like the one Sora had slept in! Near the right wall was a white table with chairs!

"Am I dreaming?" she said, "This looks like a cross between Naminé's White Room and Ansem's Basement Computer Lab!" She stared up at the blossom-like Memory Pod.

_'Granda,'_ she thought, _'what are you not telling me?'_

* * *

She thought about this the next day as well, standing on the beach with Riku in her school uniform with her hair in one braid with Water Tribe-style hair loops in the front (hooray for hair loopies!). Riku had his tie undone and the top two buttons of his shirt unbuttoned as well as the cuffs of the sleeves. His hair was blowing in the breeze too, and Ame couldn't get enough of it! It made her exhale and blush red.

It was nice to be alone with him after school; Kairi had drama club, Sora was waiting for her, and Roxas and Naminé were off who-knew-where.

"I love breezy afternoons," said Ame as she shaded her eyes, "The sun's just right and the wind's nice and strong."

"It's been getting colder lately," Riku commented as he stood up, "My dad said there's a big cold front heading our way."

"Hmm…" Ame took a waterbending stance and drew some water in a circle around her to go through some simple movements.

"And now there's a _boat_ headed this way," said Riku presently, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks like it has a Water Tribe flag."

_"What?"_ Ame dropped the water and ran over, "Where?" Riku pointed straight ahead. She took a hard look and her eyes flew open.

She screamed joyfully and ran into the ocean and sped to the boat, which had hit the shallows by now. Some of the water in front of it parted and Ame ran through to the boat; an old woman of about 63 (who, from the look of it, had aged gracefully) with white hair in a bun and hair loops stood with a stern face, her eyes icy cold blue. She wore a blue Water Tribe dress and a small glass amulet of magic water.

"Master Hana!" Ame cried joyfully as she embraced her old teacher, "Welcome to Destiny Island! I hope the trip was good to you!"

"Of course," said Master Hana calmly, "You should know by now I'm used to trips like this."

"Of course, of course!" said a flustered Ame, "Come! I'll get Ichi-san to send us a car!"

After she called, she asked, "Tell me; how is it on the North Pole?"

"Well, as you know from the first letter I sent you," she explained as they walked, "The Northern Tribe is being re-established, as well as the Southern Tribe. Whole teams of historians, scholars, and genealogists have been tracing Water Tribe descendents—bending and non—and many of them are trekking North and South alike, even East and West. We're getting more every day; it's very exciting."

"How are the girls in the Water Scout troop?" asked Ame, "Have you heard anything of them?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact." Master Hana withdrew from her bosom several little scrolls neatly tied together.

"Here," she said, "You can read those when you get a chance."

Ame's eyes sparkled with excitement: Her whole troop from the South Pole had sent her letters! How long had it been since she last saw them?

"And who are you?" asked the woman, cutting into her thoughts. Ame snapped her head up with a pencil blush at Riku.

_'Holy crap,'_ she thought, _'I completely forgot!'_

"Um, sensei," she said nervously as she put the scrolls in her bag, "Remember when I sent you that letter about all the friends I made?"

"Yes," said the lady curtly (Ame was afraid of that).

"Well," she continued, "this is one of them. Master Hana, this is Riku Hakari. Riku, this is my teacher, Master Hana."

Riku bowed politely to her with one hand curled around his fist; he figured that was the way to address a master of any martial arts, especially the one that had raised Ame.

"I'm honored to meet you at last, Master Hana," he said respectfully, "Ame's told me a lot about you."

_'Not gonna work,'_ Ame thought nervously; it was good of him to be flattering and polite, but she knew Master Hana was not easily won over, especially by any male of the human race.

Master Hana stared sternly at Riku, even after he straightened back up. She furrowed one of her eyebrows critically. Her stern look reminded both kids of Madame Suliman from "Howl's Moving Castle."

"Your boyfriend, is he?" she finally asked. Ame's face turned pink and that answered her question.

"I thought so," she said softly, then "Ame, may I have a word with you?"

"Yes, Master Hana," Ame bowed, her face furiously red. She'd expected this. What was she going to say now?

"I suppose you know what I'm going to say," said Master Hana when they were a bit away.

"I've dishonored you, mocked your beliefs, and shamed your ways?" Ame guessed, standing straight and tall.

"And why?" said the woman, "So you could go chasing after some long-haired punk who can't keep his shirt buttoned? Is that what I taught you?"

Diplomacy was one thing Ame had learned from both Granda and Master Hana, but more from Granda; she ignored the insult about Riku and answered the question that deserved answering, for Granda said never to answer an insulting question if you can avoid it.

_"Insults are more often than not thrown in ignorance,"_ she had once said, _"Ignorance is not something to waste your energy on. Focus on the questions that matter."_

"You taught me to fight and protect the people I love, sensei," she said calmly, "I'm sorry, but you know I never agreed with your female supremacist ideas. I have friends of both sexes that are dearer to me than the water I bend. You'd _**love**_ them, sensei! One of them is the Keybearer!"

"I don't care if he's the next Gandhi!" said the sensei, "I thought I'd told you a hundred times that you cannot trust men!"

"But Master, it isn't right!" she protested, losing the diplomatic edge, "Time and again you've told me how terrible men are and time and again you've been proven wrong!"

"You were kidnapped by bandits as you slept by our campfire at 13!" Hana reminded her, "Both men!"

"That doesn't prove anything," said Ame, "Women can be bandits just as easily and I beat them."

"What about that outfit?" she asked, looking her up and down, "Do you wear that for your boyfriend? Does he make you dress like a subservient slut?"

"It's my school uniform!" said Ame with a blood-red blush, "I extended the skirt and I happen to like the outfit! And I am neither subservient nor a slut, how dare you even suggest that? Don't you think you and Granda raised me better than that? Just look at this!"

A golden ring whose charm was King Mickey's head shape gleamed on her right hand.

"This is a magic ring signifying the Golden Promise," Ame said, "The spell takes hold when we put it on while we're single and breaks on our wedding nights. Every teen who wears one wagers something of theirs—a trait, a talent, anything—as a price to pay should they break the Promise. As you may have guessed, I've wagered my waterbending."

"You _what?_" gasped Master Hana, "Everything I've taught you?"

"Yes," she nodded, "and waterbending means too much to me to lose for anything. Riku wears one, too. He never breaks promises, Master Hana."

"And what does _he_ stake?" she asked disdainfully, "His charm and good looks?"

"No," said Ame as she met her eyes, "His Keyblade."

Master Hana's eyes widened slightly. Ame knew what was coming next and she was ready to defend the boy she loved, be it with words or with water.

"Keyblade?" she exhaled, "Is he the boy who sided with the Heartless last summer?" Ame closed her eyes, sighed, and swallowed before answering; she then looked her straight in the eyes.

"Yes." No blush came to her face this time and her eyes never wavered. Master Hana's cold, sharp eyes flashed up to Riku.

_**"You!"**_ she screeched as she swiftly drew a surge of water from the ocean and sent it charging at him before he knew what was happening. Fortunately, Ame deflected it and spun around to send it crashing to the ground between herself and her teacher. The whole thing had happened so fast, Riku still wasn't sure what was going on. After a moment, Ame stretched her arms out at her sides and slid her feet apart firmly. (And without her shoes, too! Go, girl!)

"I don't want to fight you, Master Hana," she declared clearly, "but I _won't_ let you hurt Riku!"

"So…" Master Hana said quietly after a while, "This is how you repay me…for all I've done."

"By living your teachings," said Ame, "I do nothing now what you didn't teach me then. And unprovoked violence is not what you taught me!"

Riku was watching the whole scene with confusion. One thing was certain: Master Hana did _not_ approve of him at all. But what else were they near fighting about? Why did Ame feel the need to root herself between him and the old woman?

_'Because __this__ old woman happens to be a manhating psycho,'_ he answered himself, _'You'd better do something before Ame gets herself hurt.'_

He took a few steps forward.

"Ame?" he called, "Is everything okay?"

"Riku!" she turned her head back, "Don't come any closer!"

That had been a mistake. Ame was immediately knocked down by seawater and the sensei had turned her eyes on him!

"NO!" Ame yelled, tackling her around her legs as she ran. Hana tripped and her water fell once again to the ground. Riku stepped back in surprise.

"RUN, RIKU!" she cried desperately.

"What? Not man enough to take on an old lady?" said Master Hana as she struggled out of her student's grasp. When she did, she turned on her back and scooped her hands in the air; a column of water rose from the sand, taking Ame with it. Sensei split it in two and Ame fell; the two streams came crashing down toward the girl but she stuck her own hands up and made an arch of ice above her, shielding herself from them.

Master Hana rose to her feet.

"You're prepared to fight me over this delinquent?" she accused, "After all the trouble he's caused?"

Riku was stunned and he felt a thorn in his heart; this was about _**him?**_

"Just a minute here!" he spoke up, "I don't mean any disrespect, Miss Hana, but if you've got a problem with me, then leave Ame alone and fight me!"

"Riku, no!" Ame whispered, terrified as Master Hana slowly turned with a gratified smirk.

"You want to dance, pretty boy?" she said with quiet mock as a thin water whip slowly formed under her hand. She whipped it back and said as it came swinging around, _**"Let's watoosie!"**_

* * *

**Author's Review****:**  
I don't really know what kind of dance the Watoosie is; I just heard it on the Beverly Hillbillies once. :s It sounded cool, so I put it in.

Okay: You know how I said this whole story was just a bunch of scenarios I had to get out of my head? Well, this is one of the chapters that makes them up.

I hope y'all like Master Hana, despite her anti-male warpath, especially you Avatar fans! I will make a huge mention of Avatar action in the next chapter.

It's really hard to do action sequences in word form; it's almost like you have to do it in slow-motion in your head or something like that. It's good story, though!

Oh! I have a special announcement: I've recently become a "Fruits Basket" fan! I have the first Ultimate Edition and a couple of episodes on DVD! I love it! It's so funny and cute and romantic! Anyone who's a fan, tell me so we can compare notes! And stay tuned for the next chapter!


	7. A Rescue Too Late

Mwa ha ha ha ha!! How I enjoy writing cliffies and torturing my loyal readers! (sigh of contentment) But now we'll get to PART TWO OF RIKU VS. HANA!

* * *

_"A year passed; winter changed into spring, spring changed into summer, summer changed back into winter, and winter gave spring and summer a miss and went straight on into autumn."—_Narrator, _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_

* * *

**Chapter 6: A Rescue Too Late**  
Master Hana's thin, stinging water whip flew at Riku only to be batted away by The Way to Dawn.

Riku looked up from behind his forearm in the quick pose he'd stricken; it had happened so quick, Ame would've missed it if she'd blinked. The look in his eyes reflected his next statement.

"I'm not afraid of you." The steadiness with which he'd said it was like the calm of a perfect summer day, as opposed to this dreadfully cold and dreary February afternoon.

Ame sat up on her knees and decided to watch how Riku would handle the sensei before she'd have to step in.

It didn't take long to decide; Ichi-san showed up just then with the car up on the road hilltop. He stepped out, looked down, and gasped.

"Ame-sama?" he called with concern in Japanese, "What is happening?" He started to move toward the beach; Ame panicked.

_"Iya!"_ she shouted, _"Iya, Ichi-san! Chikayoranai!"_

He stopped, confused; she'd just told him "no" and "stay away." Why?

"What, a male audience now?" said Hana. She started to lash her water whip back to whack the butler, but Ame knocked her down with a big jet of water.

"You leave him alone, snesei!" she shouted angrily, "He's nothing to do with this!"

She was seething mad; Ichi-san knew at least five styles of kung fu and was perfectly capable of defending himself, but she saw no good in further provoking Master Hana (as in, him attacking her). Besides, that old butler was a dear friend to both her and Granda, and Ame was very fond of him! (Plus, he's in his late 40's and defenseless against a psycho waterbender.)

"How pathetic," said Master Hana, "Look what these islands have done to you—made you weak!"

"The island sun has melted what you tried to keep frozen in the Poles," Ame responded, "but my heart's still just as strong!"

"That's enough!" Master Hana leapt to her feet, "I've just about had it with your insubordination, young one. You're going to take me to your home and I'll be staying with you until your grandmother returns. As for _**you**_…" She whipped her head to Riku. "…you miscreant. You stay away from the Megami property. You won't visit, call, e-mail, or communicate with my student in any way, understand? I won't have you tainting this daughter of the Water Tribe any further than you have already!"

"I'm sorry," said Riku, "but I can't do that. I'm in love with your student, and as long as she wants me, I won't give her up, not for anything or anyone!"

"Very well, then." The old woman made a smooth motion and attacked Riku; once again, he was fighting for his girl.

"No!" shouted Ame as she jumped into the fray, "Back off, Riku! I'll handle her! It's my turn to fight for you now!"

And fight she did! As Ame went head-to-head against her teacher, she reminded herself of the mighty Katara from the ancient days of the Four Nations, to whom she could trace her lineage! Every move she ever learned came to her now as she fought the woman who had taught her everything waterbending. Riku was very impressed as he watched; Ame was tougher than he thought, taking blow for blow!

But not tough enough; Ame took a huge jump with a large jet of water behind her. She was giving a battle cry and had her hands in front, but Master Hana was just standing there calm and cool. When Ame was close enough, the sensei grabbed her wrist; Ame gasped and looked horrified—not because she'd grabbed her wrist, but because of what was between her wrist and sensei's hand. Her water fell useless to the ground.

Sensei swung Ame around and grabbed her other wrist as well, bringing her to her knees. When she let go of her, Riku saw she was wearing two wrist clamps—one blue on her left and one white on her right, both with beautifully carved Japanese characters that glittered in the sunlight. He didn't understand why, but Ame was crying and freaking out; her hair was messed up, too.

_"That's not fair!"_ she screeched as he ran and knelt by her.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"These braces!" she panicked, "The white one stops my magic and the blue one stops my bending! Granda made them for when I was bad." She dropped her hands and bowed her head and murmured, "Sensei cheated."

"And you've been very bad," sensei smiled triumphantly, "How will you protect your boyfriend _now?_" Both teens looked up at her before Riku was swept away off his feet.

"RIKU!" she yelled, "Sensei, I beg you not to do this!"

"It's okay!" Riku got to his feet, "I can fight for myself!"

"Why don't you sic your Heartless on me?" taunted the teacher as the boy summoned his Keyblade. He charged Master Hana and they went at it. Ame tried to run to them but was knocked over by water and landed on her back. A pair of feet stopped by her head and she looked up into the kind yet fearful eyes of her butler.

"Ame-sama!" he cried as he knelt to help her, "Are you all right?"

"Hai, I'm fine," she responded and sat up, "but I'm not sure about Riku!"

"Is not this Hana-sensei that is fighting him?" he inquired as he propped her up.

"I'm afraid so," she said, "but I don't understand what's gotten into her! She's never been so openly hostile before! You know how she is about men, but she's never gone so crazy before!"

Ichi-san helped Ame to her feet and brushed the sand off her shoulders; Ame kept her eyes glued to the fight. She screamed when Riku took a whomping blow and ran crazily into the fray. Before she could do anything, though, Master Hana had a circle of water swirling in the air. At her hand command, it turned into tall thick icicles and landed expertly around Riku at odd slants, trapping his body in a position that made him drop his Keyblade. He was slightly bent with his hands over and away from his head as if he was in stockades. His hair was strewn in his face and Ame was reminded of Katara's fight with Master Pakku, who had refused to teach her waterbending because of her gender. She looked at Master Hana and realized that she was just like him.

"This fight is over," said Master Hana with quiet smug that only highlighted Ame's thoughts as she ran crying to Riku.

He looked terrible! He was tired and cold from these thick icicles (not to mention he'd just taken a serious beating); he couldn't move and when Ame grabbed his face and kissed him, he couldn't touch her, either.

"I'm so sorry, Riku!" she sobbed with her face against him so that she looked behind him, "I failed you! I wasn't strong enough!"

"No, Ame," he said in a tired voice as he tried to regain his breath, "It's not your fault. You stood up for what you believe in and that took courage. (He smiled and looked in her eyes.) I'm proud of you." Ame blushed red across her nose and cheeks as her tears descended.

"But I couldn't protect you," she almost whispered.

"Say your goodbyes, Ame," said Master Hana, "We're going home now." Ame had one arm curled protectively around Riku's head (that's all she could reach) as a jump response (she'd snuck up on her).

"What about Riku?" she asked without turning around.

"His Keyblade friends can chisel him out," she said carelessly, "I'm sure they'll find him eventually." The girl turned.

"But he can't reach his cell phone!" Ame protested with shock as Ichi-san ran over and gently held her shoulders from behind, "It could be nightfall before they come here; he'll _freeze!_" She would've gone for her own phone, but sensei had her bag!

"Say goodbye," Master Hana said shortly before heading to the car. Ame looked painfully at Riku.

"I can't leave you," she whispered.

"Ame," he said as he looked in her eyes, "Go. I'll be okay. Knowing Sora, he'll have a paranoid attack and they'll be here in no time!" She giggled through her tears and that made him smile.

"That's my girl," he nodded, "Now go, and don't worry about me. I love you, and these old icicles are certainly not gonna keep me away from you. You got that?"

She nodded, hugged his head, and kissed him. She held one of his hands and looked at him.

"I love you, too," she said before turning away. Riku looked up at Ichi-san.

"Ichi-san," he pleaded, more with his eyes, "_please_ take care of her."

"Hai," he nodded and held Ame's shoulders as he walked her to the car.

* * *

Ame's prediction had been nearly right: It was halfway through sundown before Sora and the others figured out where Riku was (especially after several missed calls, due to his inability to reach his phone). A dark green mini-van pulled up on the road uphill (a Chevrolet Venture); Sora and Kairi came spilling out of it, along with Roxas, Naminé, and Riku's parents. His mother reached him first; by now, he was so cold and tired that his throat and lungs were hurting and his wrists felt weak.

"Riku!" cried his mother as she covered his face with kisses and tears, "My poor Riku! What happened to you?"

"Mom," he murmured, "I'm so sorry to worry you." He couldn't help smiling.

"Riku, are you okay?" said Kairi's angelic voice as she tried to rub life back into his hand.

"Everybody stand back," said Naminé, "Sora, Mr. H, if you'll each please grab an arm as best as you can."

Kip (Dad) and Sora reached in among the icicles and got a firm grip on his upper arms. Naminé stood in front of him.

"Riku," she said, "I'm going to melt the ice now, so try to brace yourself." He nodded and she held her hands up palm-down; she steadily lowered them all the way down and the icicles melted. Sora and Kip quickly took Riku's arms around their necks.

"You okay, man?" Sora asked gently. Riku coughed and hung his head as they carefully started to walk to the car.

"Sora, I'm so tired," he couldn't help saying, "I can't feel my hands."

"Son," said his father on his left, "who did this to you?" Under the curtain of his hair, Riku smiled wryly.

"A woman," he answered.

"Ame?" Sora guessed, wide-eyed. The other kids looked back at him.

"Close," he said, "but no. Her waterbending master did this."

"But I thought she was coming next week!" Kairi gaped.

"So did I," said Riku, "She decided I wasn't good enough for Ame and picked a fight. We lost."

"Where's Ame now?" Kairi asked fearfully.

"Home," Riku answered as they got to the car, "The butler came over and drove them back to her house." Sora buckled him into a middle seat between his and Roxas'.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" asked Roxas when they were all in.

"I don't know," said Riku miserably as he breathed and tucked his arms into his stomach and leaned over a bit. "I don't know."

"We'll worry about Ame later," Naminé said gently as she draped a blanket around him from behind in the back seat. "For now let's get you home and thaw you out."

"Ame's tough as nails," said Kairi, leaning up with a smile, "and Master Hana's her teacher! I'm sure she won't hurt her, crazy though she may be." She gently rubbed his shoulders.

"I'm not worried about her getting hurt," Riku murmured with his eyes closed, "I'm worried about how she feels."

"What do you mean, honey?" his mother asked, turning in the front passenger seat. He looked up at her; a lump formed in her throat at the pain and sadness she saw in her son's eyes, so like her own.

"She thinks she failed me," he said softly, "She tried to protect me from her own teacher. She even fought her to keep her away. But that lady's something else; she's been a traveler most of Ame's life and has decades of fighting experience. She's smart, she's fast, she's deadly, she's observant…"

"And she's a psychopathic manhater," Sora cut in as he watched out the window on Riku's right. Riku could see his "brother" was deeply concerned for Ame's well-being and felt a small spark of comfort.

"At any rate," Riku continued, "Ame thinks she wasn't strong enough to protect me. She probably hates herself." (Remember that later, guys!)

"Don't worry, Riku," said Mom when they all got out, "You concentrate on getting better and let the rest of us step up for Ame." Riku smiled up at his mother, the most beautiful woman he knew (next to Ame) as Dad and Sora helped him into the house. He fingered a lock of her soft, blue hair.

"Did I ever tell you I love you?" he smiled. She smiled back and went into the kitchen to the phone while Naminé led them up to Riku's bedroom.

* * *

**Author's Review****:**  
Thus ends part 2 of Riku and Ame's latest crisis! Is sensei crazy or what?

The next chapter will highlight the awesomeness of two characters—Riku's mother Susie and Sora. Susie will step up as a parent and friend and Sora will step up in a fashion that I picked up by watching "Malcolm in the Middle" and "Howl's Moving Castle." It's gonna be fun!

We'll also see the self-inflicted mental torture Ame goes through, and it's gonna be kinda funny as well. It'll remind us of those anime moments when the girl panics and babbles nonsense in her head! Ah, nonsense; how delightful! How humorous!

Anyway, stay tuned; we're gonna have some fun! ;)


	8. Sora Steps Up

PREVIOUSLY, Riku had taken a serious beating from Ame's psycho guardian, Master Hana, and been rescued later by Sora and the others while Ame was dragged off home. What will happen now? Well, read it already!

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_"There's no such thing as a memory that's okay to forget."—_Momiji Sohma, _Fruits Basket_

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**Chapter 7: Sora Steps Up**  
"Here, Riku," said Naminé in her gentle angel's voice, "Keep these on your wrists until they get cold." She carefully wrapped two wet, hot washcloths around his weak, limp wrists; he was wearing a white baggy T-shirt and was covered with a thick quilt. He was propped up slightly by a soft pile of pillows and his chest hurt with the cold. Every breath was painful and all he could think of was Ame.

"Ame…" he mumbled feverishly, "Ame…"

"What's wrong with him?" asked Roxas, standing opposite Naminé by the bed. Naminé felt Riku's forehead.

"He's a bit delirious," she reported, "and I'm definitely feeling a fever. That won't do." She moved both hands to the sides of his head and closed her eyes with a gentle expression.

"Ame," said Riku, "My Ame…"

"Sshhh…" Naminé cooed soothingly, "It's all right, Riku. Ame needs you to be strong now. Rest, brother. Sleep in peaceful skies. Dream of warm sunshine and calming waters. Rest."

He calmed down and slept deeply, his fever banished. He looked so peaceful, it made _Roxas_ sleepy!

A tear landed on the quilt and Roxas looked up to see Naminé rubbing one of her eyes with her head bowed.

"Naminé!" he said quietly and went to hold her, "What's wrong?"

"I…" she said, "I lived with Riku…for a whole year. He really is like my brother. I…"

"Hey, it's okay," Roxas smiled and leaned her head to him, "You're doing great, really. His fever's all gone, so that's one less thing to worry about, and we're getting a fire going in the den so we'll have him up and running in no time. You're a great healer, Naminé." He kissed her on her head.

"Now come on," he said, "Let's let Riku rest a bit. I want to see how Susie handles the sensei!" (SusieRiku's Mom)

* * *

She had failed.

Ame lay crying in her bed, those accursed manacles forbidding any attempt at rebellion. Her phone was confiscated, her computer taken up, her windows and skylight locked from outside, her silver coffee thermos full of water hanging pointlessly on a coat hook on the wall that made the foot of her window sill-bed.

She was a prisoner in her own home and it was her own fault. She had utterly, miserably failed.

_'You weakling!'_ she shouted in her head, _'You promised you'd protect him and now look! He could be frozen by now if the others haven't found him yet! Who knows what's happening now?'_

She looked out her window toward the ocean under the turquoise/indigo/purple sky of twilight and laid her hand against it; it was getting colder outside. If she didn't talk to someone or do something to find out about Riku, she was sure she'd go nuts.

_"Sensei!"_ she shouted as she pounded on her locked door for the eighth time in a row, _"Let me out of here! If Riku dies, I'll hate you for the rest of my life!"_

Of course, she knew nothing was going to happen to him; she knew he'd have to be found by _now_. But the pain of not knowing was driving her crazy and made her say those foolish things, succumbing to her teenage mentality.

_"I'm warning you, sensei!"_ she continued, _"As mistress of this household, I order you to release me at once!"_

_Click!_ She jumped back in surprise as the door unlocked (Did it work?). It was Ichi-san with a house phone.

"Ame-sama," he said, "Mrs. Hakari is on the phone. She wants to speak to you."

_'Riku!'_ she thought with a flare of red on her face.

"Arigato," she said hastily as she took it, "He-hello? Mrs. H? Is it about Riku? Is he okay?"

She could just imagine all the horrible things Riku's mother was going to say to her: _"What is the meaning of this?" "You left my son to freeze to death when it's this cold?" "What kind of a girlfriend are you?" "You call yourself a waterbender?" "__**You told Harpo to beat me!**__"_

_'Wait,' _she thought, _'That's a movie line.'_ Now, Ame really knew that Riku's mother would never say such things, especially to a teenage girl, but again her teenage mentality had surfaced (it's like she has a panic button that triggers foolish thoughts).

"Ame, are you all right?" said Mrs. H's lovely voice, "Don't worry about Riku; he's fine. We found him and he's home now, asleep. I'm asking about you; is everything okay?"

Ame almost couldn't believe how kind and considerate this woman was.

"I'm okay, Mrs. H," she said with a slight blush, "but…I'm so sorry about what happened."

"Don't be," said the mother, "None of this was your fault. You did everything you could to avoid it. I want to know if you're hurt as well."

"No, ma'am," she said, "Master Hana could never hurt me before, but she did clamp these bracelets on me; they block my chi so I can't waterbend. She snuck them on me during the fight. I forgot how sneaky she can be, the old devil."

"Hm," said Mom doubtfully, "Well, I'm just glad you're not hurt. If it's all right, I'd like to talk to Master Hana now."

Ame's whole face flared up; it was now Guardian vs. Mother! (Ding-ding!) Master Hana was standing in the doorway, too.

* * *

(At Riku's house…)

Susan Rioka Hakari was a natural at keeping her tone of voice objective and neutral while still getting the full effect of the message across. Hers was the voice of a true parent, respectfully addressing superiors and elders in a friendly way. In essence, she was nearly as much a lady as Granda.

While Kip and the kids were in the den building up a fire, Susie was speaking to Master Hana on the phone. She went for a formal approach.

"Master Hana?" she said, "Hello! I'm Susan Hakari; it's a pleasure."

"You're Riku's mother?" she asked, skipping formality and getting to the meat of the matter.

"Yes, I am," Susie replied, "I just called to let you know that Riku's doing just fine now. He's a strong boy, so he'll recover quickly." That sentence had a two-pronged effect: She was granting her son's attacker the courtesy of letting her know that she hadn't hurt him _too_ badly while giving her a subtle "take that," saying that whatever she had intended, she had failed. Riku was strong enough to overcome any pain she could inflict on him.

"I hope you don't mind my calling Ame as well," she continued, "I wanted to make sure she was all right." (Like she cares if she minded or not, anyway; she's just being nice.)

"She's quite all right with me, Mrs. Hakari," she answered, "I would worry more about what your son does with her. I simply did my part as her teacher and former surrogate mother. Do you realize, Mrs. Hakari, that your son had a big hand in the Heartless outbreak last year?"

Susie's eyes sparked with slight indignity; she decided to negate the attack (she was perfectly aware of _that,_ thank you very much).

"Do you realize, Master, Hana, that I could have you arrested for assaulting a minor child?" she asked calmly, with flawless objectivity.

"Ha! That'd be a sight," said Hana, "Cops swarming the Megami Estate? I'd love to see it tried; Granda's house is all but impregnable." (I'm not sure I used that in the right context, but you get what I'm saying, right?)

"So you're keeping Ame prisoner, is that it?" she asked with the same neutral tone. She heard Master Hana softly chuckle.

"You put words in my mouth, Mrs. Hakari," she said, "I see no point in furthering this fruitless conversation. Thank you for your concern, but I have a child to tend to and so do you. If that's all?"

Mom sighed inwardly; it was clear that this call was going nowhere.

"Yes, Miss Hana," she said, "That's all. Thank you for talking to me." She hung up the phone on the dining room table with a cloud of sadness around her. Kip came over and touched her shoulders gently.

"Not work out so well?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Hmph," he said, "You try and help somebody. Poor Riku; I know you're only trying to do what's best for him."

"It's not just Riku I'm worried about, Kip," said Susie, "It's Ame." She turned to look at her husband from the chair she was sitting in. "That poor child is shut up in that big mansion all alone with that dangerous woman? I don't like it." They started to walk down the short flight of stairs to the den.

"Neither do I," said Kip, "but what can we do? You've tried the parent route already."

"There has to be something, Kip," she said, "I can't bear to think of her in there, vulnerable to attack in her own home!" She held her arms and Kip held her, trying to think of something to say.

"You're right," he finally said, "Granda's not here to look out for her, so _we've_ got to look out for her." Kairi nodded with a smile and looked over at Sora, who was leaning sideways on the sliding glass door to the backyard with his arms crossed and his face serious. Usually, that was Riku's thing.

"Sora?" she said, knowing Sora never looked like that unless something was really bothering him. Sora closed his eyes for a second.

"Couldn't have said it better myself, Dad," he said steadily (They're best friends. They all call each other's parents Mom and Dad). He stood straight, unfolded his arms, and faced them.

"Since Granda's not here to protect her," he said, "it's up to us." He strode past them; Kairi got a shocked, "wait—what's he gonna do?" look and trotted after him.

"Sora," she asked from behind him, "what are you gonna do?"

"What's it look like?" he said as they ascended the stairs to the first floor, "I'm going to get Ame."

Kairi stopped for a minute, then caught up with him.

"Wait," she asked, "You mean you're going to her _house?_"

"That's where she is, isn't it?"

"But," she said, "Sora, hold on! What are you planning to do, storm the mansion and bust her out?"

"If that's what it takes to keep my sister safe, then so be it," he replied grimly, "She needs us and I'm gonna do what's best—for her _and_ for Riku."

"I know, but," Kairi protested, "What about Master Hana? She's not going to just let you take Ame. She'll fight you for sure!"

"Good!" he said, "Then I can give her a piece of my mind without having to be polite about it!"

They had gotten to the garage; in a corner by the open doorway stood a motorcycle under a tarp. With one swift motion, Sora swept it away to reveal an exact replica of Tron's Light Cycle—a project Sora and Riku had been working on for months. It was done but untested; now Sora was going to test it.

"Sora, stop!" Kairi threw her arms around his torso from behind. He stopped, a bit surprised at the emotion in her voice.

"Please, Sora," she said, her voice muffled into his shirt, then more clearly as her face turned, "I love you. I don't want you to get hurt!"

Sora looked sad for a minute, then breathed.

"I love you too, Kairi," he said softly, "but my heart is telling me to do this." He turned his head and smiled at her.

"And you know I always have to follow my heart!" he winked. Before she could blink, her boyfriend had the matching helmet on his head and was revving up the cycle.

"Don't worry, Kairi!" he shouted above the engine, "I'll be back in a jiffy—_with_ Ame!" And he sped off—out of the garage, down the driveway, and up the street with Kairi's voice following him at the edge of the drive.

"Sora, no!" she cried out with the whoosh of the cycle blowing on her skirt and hair. She fell to her knees and buried her face in her hands. Roxas and Naminé appeared on the front porch.

"Kairi?" called Naminé, "What's wrong?" The blond ran to her twin.

"It's Sora!" said Kairi, "He's gone after Ame!"

"What?" popped Naminé, "Is he insane?"

"No," said Roxas calmly, "He's doing what's best for his friends…" They looked up the road, where Sora was now a retreating headlight.

"He's bringing them together."

* * *

**Author's Review****:**  
I was originally going to have Naminé do that cool line, but I figured since Sora and Roxas were twins and so close, it just worked well!

Anyway, Sora storming off to the garage with Kairi trotting behind him was from an episode of "Malcolm in the Middle." And Kairi freaking out while Sora goes off is from "Howl's Moving Castle," just like I said! Fun, wasn't it?

Please review and tell me your favorite part! I gots ta go! Later!


	9. Sky vs Water

One thing I forgot to mention in the last chapter: That line about Harpo that was a movie line was from the movie "The Color Purple." It was said by Oprah, who played Sofia in the movie! I liked that movie a lot; it's long, but really good!

Anyway, back to my story, see? Sora just had a burst of chivalry and went off to rescue their sweet little Ame! (well, I wouldn't say little; she's taller than Sora and one year older) And on Tron's Light Cycle, no less!

Okay, there's a song in this chapter; it's "Our Song," NOT by Taylor Swift, but by M2M, from the 1990's, my glory days of music! (sigh) Now let's get on with it!

* * *

_"I fought an elephant in my pajamas once; how it got in my pajamas I'll never know!"_—Groucho Marx

* * *

**Chapter 8: Sky vs. Water**  
Ame was sitting in her bed again, listening to her radio. DJ from school had his own show every night for about 3 hours, and Ame really wanted a familiar, same-age voice.

_'Oh, DJ,'_ she prayed silently as she flopped back onto her pillows, _'please play me a song that will fix this! If only you knew what was going on!'_ She turned over in a slight bend and started to cry again.

"And now, here's a good song," said his cheery voice, "This one's from the 90's and is a remake of an old 70's favorite (sort of). If, for any reason, you're not able to be with the one you love tonight, this one's for you."

Ame's teary eyes flew open; it was like he'd heard her prayer! When she heard its intro, she shot straight up, her face flushed from crying.

_'This is…'_ she thought amazingly. She had just sung this last week with Yuna on the karaoke floor at the arcade! Had DJ been there?

_I'm lying in my bed all alone  
Called you once again  
No one is home_

"DJ…" Ame stared at her radio with quivering eyes. "…how did you know?" She curled up in a fetal position and wept.

_It's raining outside on Saturday night  
Turning out the light, again I try_

She looked out the window of her bed; a beautiful sickle moon sliced the dark blue sky as the stars danced and twinkled like heavenly fairies.

_My friends say I'm too good,  
too good for you  
And maybe that is true  
Well, I don't care_

She thought of Master Hana and silently agreed with the song, especially the next two lines.

_What do they all know?  
They've got it all wrong_

Ame fell flat on her back, her eyes shut with emotional pain as she sang the next part.

_This is so unfair!  
They're playing our song!_

Sora roared up the mountain road to Ame's house; he hit every curve just right and let the thrill of the ride fuel his resolve.

_Nobody gets too much heaven no more  
It's much harder to come by  
I'm waiting in line_

He pulled up to the gate where Merv the guard was on duty.

"Merv?" he said, removing his helmet, "It's me, Sora!"

"Sora!" said Merv, "What a relief!"

"Is everything okay here?" asked the boy.

"No one's hurt, if that's what you mean," he answered, "but I'm glad you're here. I heard about Riku—_every_body's talking about it. Are you here for Ame?"

"Yeah," he nodded.

"Good," said Merv, "I hope you can get her out of there."

"She's not hurt, is she?"

"No," said Merv, "Ichi-san would **never** let that old lady touch her. But we'll all feel better if she's with you and your friends. Here." He pushed the button and the iron gates slowly swung open.

"Thanks, Merv!" Sora revved up and drove down the long cobblestone driveway to the circular one by the house.

_Nobody gets too much love anymore  
It's as high as a mountain  
and harder to climb_

Sora parked the cycle, threw down the helmet, and strode up the porch steps. He banged his fist on the door as if this whole mess was its fault. It slid open a crack and a dewy brown eye looked warily out and, seeing it was him, widened with a small gasp.

"Sora?" said Dharma's voice as the Head Maid swung the door open at arm's length, "What are you doing here?"

_Something's going on  
What is wrong?_

"I came to get Ame," he said, "She needs to be with Riku."

_I want you to be here  
Why don't you come_

"Sora, you shouldn't have come here," she answered sadly, "Master Hana's got a tight grip on this place."

"I figured as much," he said, "but I'm not letting her stop me."

"Dharma!" said Master Hana sharply from the stairs, "Who's at the door?"

"Uh…" Dharma couldn't think of what to say for a minute. "No one, Master Hana. Just…"

"My name is Sora!" he announced himself, sidestepping inside past Dharma, "Are you Master Hana?"

"I am," she said, her chin lifted proudly, "And I don't recall inviting you to this mansion; what poor manners to barge in uninvited."

"There's no lock in the world that can keep out the Keyblade," Sora answered as he summoned Oathkeeper, "Where's Ame?"

Dharma gasped and backed against the door behind him.

"Sora, don't!" she whispered fiercely, "She'll _kill_ you!"

_And spend some time with me  
Can't you see?_

Sora moved to a fighting stance.

"Get out of here, Dharma," he said grimly, "I don't want you to get hurt."

"Yes, Dharma, go," said Master Hana, "It wouldn't do to have _two _people wasted in here." Seeing the position of power she usually had was no longer her own, Dharma slid across the wall and ran into a stairwell door that led to the balcony surrounding the main hall.

Sora glared at the older woman before him; he knew she could do him a serious whooping if she wanted to, but what was she compared to Organization XIII?

Master Hana shook her head.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," she tutted, "You warrior boys are so proud. A key appears in your hand and you think you can cross borders at your whim. I shall soon rectify _**that!**_"

With smooth hand motions, she walked down the stairs; Sora heard the approaching rush of water from the halls and soon a surge was behind her, and two streams were attached to her hands as she struck a prepare-to-fight pose.

She swirled her hands and came at him!

_Have we come undone?  
Is this the end of our song?_

Sora whacked the whiplike streams on her hands as they came; they were standing in a puddle, which Master Hana froze around Sora's ankles. She then sent the ends of her whips flying at him, but Sora pointed Oathkeeper straight at them and shot a Blizzaga move; his snowball stopped her water midway. She looked surprised at him. He surprised her further by firing Firaga around him, melting the ice.

"You're not a bender," she said, confused.

"No," said Sora, "I'm the Keybearer. It's taught me to fight _and_ use magic." He could tell by her eyes that this was beyond her, and that was his advantage: Martial arts she understood; magic she didn't.

_Nobody gets too much heaven no more  
It's much harder to come by  
I'm waiting in line_

She must have been thinking the same thing, because now she fought him with as much water as she could bend at once, and from a distance, as if she wanted to keep the magic boy as far away from her as possible.

She swept a wave at him; he jumped and froze it with Blizzaga, then slid down to repeatedly smack the water Hana was blocking his blows with. He remembered doing this with Ame, and that made him remember how he'd beaten her! It wouldn't be easy to get to that point, but he knew it had to work.

_Nobody gets too much love anymore  
It's as high as a mountain  
and harder to climb_

Hana kept blocking his blows with the water on her hands as he backed her to the main stairs. He finally swiped from under and dealt her a blow to the gut to wind her for a minute. He seized his chance to raise his Keyblade upward and (with all the servants watching from the surrounding balcony) shouted, _"Thunder!"_

A bolt of lightning struck the ground between them; Sora jumped onto the stair rail, but Master Hana was shocked out of commission…that, and a fuse was blown out, but that was quickly fixed.

Master Hana moaned and sat up to rub her head; remembering something _else_ Ame had told him, Sora quickly jabbed at the pressure points in her arms and legs, disabling her waterbending powers (and don't worry, he used his fingers this time).

"Sorry, sensei," he called with a smile as he took off upstairs, "This is just something I had to do!" He raced up the stairs on the right and ran to Ame's room. When the knob didn't turn, he pointed his Keyblade at it.

Ame was lying in bed facing the window when she heard footsteps; her ears pricked when she heard her doorknob being jiggled.

Sora opened the door to find Ame still in her uniform and braid, her back to him. She looked behind her and saw him.

_How do I deal  
with how I feel?_

"Sora!" she gasped, jumping up to hug him, "Oh, my gosh! I can't believe it!"

Sora smiled and felt his heart glow as he embraced her.

"Having fun yet?" he joked.

"How did you ever get past Master Hana?" she asked in amazement as Sora stepped back, Keyblade in hand.

"Nothing a good smacking never cured," he said, "Hold your hands up." She did and he pointed the Oathkeeper at the bracelets; they clattered to the floor and Ame rubbed her wrists.

"C'mon," he said as he grabbed her hand and led her down the hall, "We don't have much time before the old mermaid's up again."

_How to reveal  
ooh, what is real love_

They ran downstairs. Ame gasped at the watery mess in the main hall! Sensei was still down; Ame gathered up the water and separated it into streams, sending them flying back to the gigantic vases they came from.

_**"Ame!"**_ Master Hana stormed as Sora opened the double doors, "Come back here!"

Ame looked sadly back at her teacher over her shoulder, shook her head no, and turned back to the outside.

_As another day fades away  
So I say…_

As Sora and Ame sped away, Ame cast her house one more sad glance before turning to Sora (who had left his helmet, btw).

_Nobody gets too much heaven no more  
It's much harder to come by  
I'm waiting in line_

"Sora," she said over the noise, "you're the craziest boy I've ever met!" She then gave him a small peck on the cheek like a small girl to her heroic brother and said, "Don't ever change!"

"Thanks!" he smiled brightly, "Just doing my duty!"

_Nobody gets too much love anymore  
It's as high as a mountain  
and harder to climb_

They raced in the late twilight until they parked in Riku's garage. Sora grabbed her hand and quickly led her inside, through the living room, down the stairs, and into the den; Riku was sitting on the stone-laid bench-high hearth of the fireplace, wrapped up in a big brown blanket being tended to by Naminé. He looked up and saw Ame standing in the doorway with tears in her eyes. Kairi, who was bent over doing something, stood straight up.

"Oh!" she said, wide-eyed, "Ame! You're here!"

Ame didn't respond; she just stared at Riku. The firelight danced in his crystalline blue eyes, bringing them warmth and adding to the emotion with which he looked at his beloved girlfriend.

"Riku," she whispered, choking back a sob as she took a staggering step, then ran to him in full tears. Riku stood and enfolded her into the blanket with him silently.

_Nobody gets too much heaven no more  
It's much harder to come by  
I'm waiting in line_

Nobody gets too much love anymore  
It's as high as a mountain  
and harder to climb

Kairi went to Sora and hugged him tight around his neck, breathless with relief that he had come back intact and at normal body temperature; Sora returned her hug affectionately and focused on her. Riku's parents came in and went right to Ame and Riku; Susie gently yet firmly embraced Ame, blinking back her own tears of relief and saying motherly things like, "Thank heavens you're all right," and "I was so worried about you" and "Sora, what were you _think_ing," even though her pride in him was obvious.

There was a lot of love in the Hakari den that night.

* * *

**Author's Review****:**  
I don't know if I've ever mentioned this, but I chose "hakari" as Riku's last name because it's the Japanese word for "balance," making Riku the "balance of the earth." Neat, huh?

Anyway, the above song (which I don't own) is by M2M from their Shades of Purple album, and the chorus (for those of you who are Bee Gee fans) is a remake of "Too Much Heaven" by the Bee Gees! It's my favorite song from them!

This whole chapter is one of the main scenarios I always had stuck in my head (especially when listening to the above song) and had to get on paper and in text, so there ya go.

And Riku hugging Ame with the blanket around them is kinda from the movie "First Knight," starring Sean Connery and Richard Gere (total chick flick, but I think the guys will appreciate the sword fights).

Anyway, stay tuned for the next chapter! Hope you liked this!


	10. Oohoohahooh

Sorry so long apart, readers! Um…nothing to report that I can think of right now, so we'll just jump into it!

* * *

_"The sun turned red as it dipped over the horizon, touching the treetops to a fiery gold."—_Me, I made that up while driving home yesterday! Neat, huh?

* * *

**Chapter 9: Ooh-ooh-ah-ooh**  
A little later, when everything had calmed down, Ame sat across from Riku on the hearth, holding one of his hands palm up; she was tracing certain patterns in his wrist while a small stream followed her fingertip.

"So that's when Mom and Dad and everyone showed up and brought me home," Riku was saying, "Naminé's been taking care of me ever since."

Ame pressed her hand on his wrist with the water underneath it; it glowed blue and disappeared, returning the wrist to normal temperature. Riku clenched a fist to test it. As if on cue, Naminé came in just then with a little tray that had two steaming cups, a stack of crackers, and a jar of creamy peanut butter.

"Here, Riku," she said, "I made you some Thera-Flu." (don't own it)

"Thanks," he smiled.

"Here, Ame," she handed her a cup, "I made you some, too."

"Thanks, Naminé," she smiled. Naminé beamed with a nod and walked out, leaving the snack tray between the two 16-year-olds.

Riku inhaled the lemony fragrance of the warm drink with a smile, blew on it a bit, and drank. Ame watched him for a second and looked at her cup, staring at the little swath of steam rising from the rim. She swirled her fingers around it and it decreased enough to drink safely.

But she didn't; she couldn't. She put her cup down but kept her hands around it.

"What a sweetheart," she said sadly, referring to Naminé, "She's so gentle and warm…sweet…loyal…I don't deserve a friend like her. Or Sora. He was so brave, coming to rescue me."

Riku noticed her eyes were dull and a little out of focus.

"Riku," she finally said, "I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I never should've let Master Hana come here. I _wouldn't_ have if I'd known she'd go this crazy." Riku crooked a finger under her chin and lifted it to him.

"But you didn't know," he said, "and there's no possible way you could have. This is not your fault, Ame." Her eyes wavered with tears.

"But—"

"Ah, ah," he cut her off, "Say it with me: 'This is not my fault.'"

This is not my fault," Ame repeated with a red blush penciled across her cheeks and nose, "How did you get to be so forgiving?"

"It's easy to forgive others," he said over his cup, "once you've forgiven yourself." Ame stared at him and smiled. She stood up, went to him, bent over, and hugged him. Riku closed his eyes and touched her shoulder; her hair smelled like some kind of expensive shampoo. There was also a trace of some kind of flower, but he couldn't pick it out.

Her face was in some of his hair—soft, light, silky. Her heart fluttered and smiled.

"I don't deserve you, either," she murmured as a tear leaked out of her eye, "Why do you love me so much?" Riku gently pulled her back and moved her bangs away; their faces were very close and the blush stayed on her face, even through the sorrow in her eyes.

"Because you're alive," he answered gently. The answer was so simple yet it was so meaningful right then. Ame smiled and leaned in to kiss him.

* * *

Ame went home with Kairi and Naminé when everyone was tired, more emotionally than anything. The three of them shared Kairi's bed, since Naminé's conjoining room was still in the making; they thought of it as a sleepover.

Kairi came out of her bathroom (which is pretty big, btw) to find Ame sitting on the huge limb of the big tree that grew right next to her bedroom window; the limb was right against the sill of the window, and Kairi considered it a kind of unique balcony or porch. The window was open, allowing a salty breeze to poof the flimsy curtains and Ame's upper back-length hair. She was wearing a pink nightgown of Kairi's—satin, spaghetti straps, reached halfway to her knees with a rippled look at the bottom that made it blow in the wind nicely (which is not something Ame usually wears).

"Hi, there," said Kairi as she ducked out the window and climbed on next to her.

"Hey," she smiled.

"Can't sleep?" asked Kairi. Ame shook her head.

"There's something wrong with Master Hana," she mused, "She's never acted like this before. She never cared for men, but she wouldn't lash out so openly like that. I didn't feel it from her before, but there's something around her aura. Something…sinister."

"Sinister?" said Kairi, "Like what?"

"I don't know," Ame answered, frowning with her eyes closed, "It's something I've experienced before, but…I can't put my finger on it. It's like something's…possessing her." Kairi looked out to the town ahead, all lit up and pretty. Their stretch of the beach was a couple of miles down to her left. Suddenly, a light flashed from the windows of the house across the street: _**Riku's**_ house!

"What?" she said in surprise, "What's that?" Ame swept back inside and returned with her thermos by the strap in one hand and her fleece bedrobe in the other. She squatted down on the tree and slipped the black thermos strap over her right shoulder; then she swept the robe around herself like a cap and tied up the top. She could feel light magic radiating from the house the way a wild animal could smell fear from prey. She also sensed Master Hana! Something was happening to her! _**Sora**_ was happening to her!

"C'mon!" she said, leaping nimbly from the tree with Kairi right behind her.

_'Don't hurt her, Sora!'_ she begged mentally, _'She doesn't mean it!'_

"HAH!" She gave a yell and spun with her foot in the air to kick the door in. She burst into the living room with water on her hands to find Sora standing over her unconscious sensei, who lay in a crumpled heap while Riku stood guard in front of his parents.

"SORA!" she screamed, ran over and pushed him away, "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?" Sora had a strange look on his face as he looked at her, like he knew something terrible that she didn't.

"I restored her," he finally answered.

"What?" she asked, bewildered. Sora sighed with his eyes closed.

"This is what happened…"

* * *

_Master Hana had appeared out of nowhere.__Sora was asleep on the living room couch when she appeared in the room and stood over him. She held her hand open and a long stream froze into an icicle with a sharp end. She raised it slowly over him, aimed for his heart, and swiftly brought it down. Instead of the thick feeling of being stuck in flesh, however, the icicle was greeted by the Keyblade, which shattered it like glass. The next she knew, the boy was up and attacking her._

_"Sora?" said Riku's mother as she came downstairs, "What's going on?" Kip was behind her._

_"Honey, stay back!" he said as he grabbed her and put her behind himself. Sora jumped in front of them and fought Hana away. She staggered back several steps, knocking over a vase without acknowledging it. Her arms hung limply at her sides and her long, white hair curtained her face and plastered her arms. She looked up at him with a face that made her look sick; her eyes had a dull, half-closed look. Sora knew that look._

_Suddenly, in his mind's eye, he was 14 again and facing down Clayton the hunter while Tarzan crouched by his side._

_"Clayton?" he said._

_"No," Tarzan grunted, "Not__ Clayton! Ooh-ooh-ah-ooh! Not Clayton!"_

_The memory flashed back to now; Sora's eyes wavered with remembrance and shock as he stared at Master Hana._

_"Not Clayton," he whispered to himself before turning the Kingdom Key into the Ultima Weapon. He had to strike now, before it was too late!_

_With a battle cry, he ran at her with his Keyblade ready to swing; she raised her hands back to retaliate, but his Keyblade slashed at her chest diagonally with a metallic (shing!) and paused in his position—the keyblade pointed forward at a downward slant and his left hand out behind him._

_A slanted white mark was left across her chest and even a bit in her stomach; it shone with bright light and Master Hana released a demonic scream as the Heartless inside her burned with destructive pain. By the time Riku had come down, she was writhing on the floor. His mother trembled in fear while his father held her; Riku moved in front of them, still on the stairs. By the time Ame showed up, Master Hana was peacefully asleep, pure and whole._

* * *

Ame stepped back from Sora after reading his memory; she looked down at Master Hana and was doubly assured of the truth by her peaceful expression. Naminé, who had also sensed the trouble, was with the old woman now, waving magic light over her to revive her. Ame looked at Sora and hugged him gratefully.

"Thank you," she breathed, then went to hug Riku.

"Was anyone hurt?" she asked. He shook his head.

"Good," she sighed, "I'm sorry if I scared you, Mrs. H."

"It's okay," replied the woman. Ame then rushed to her master's side; Naminé could feel the relief coming off her in waves and Ame knew it. She lifted Master Hana gently by her shoulders and touched her forehead.

"Sensei?" she said gently, "Are you all right?" She drew some water and made it swirl over her palm; it glowed icy blue with her magic and she applied it to the slash mark on Hana's chest. Master Hana squinted and stirred. She opened her eyes and saw Ame.

"Ame," she said, bewildered, "what…where am I?" She looked and blinked at Naminé and Roxas, who was bending down behind her.

"Who are you?" she asked in a much gentler voice than she'd used earlier, "Ame, what's going on?"

"You almost turned into a Heartless," she answered, "Do you remember anything?"

"The last thing I remember," said Hana, "is sending my messenger dove with a letter for you saying I was coming to visit next week. Then I heard one of the healers saying something about what her husband did one day (just something stupid) and I rolled my eyes. The next thing I knew, I was consumed by a staggeringly powerful and overbearing hatred toward men that even I wasn't capable of. I don't remember anything after that except fighting within myself to keep the Heartless at bay; I thought with all the experience I have fighting them, I'd be able to defeat it! The next thing I remember is a light breaking through and destroying the Heartless and now this." Ame helped her sit up and gave her a drink of healing water.

"That light you saw," said Ame, "was probably the Keyblade saving you."

"The Keyblade?" Master Hana said in awe. Sora squatted down in front of her.

"Are you the Keybearer?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am," he nodded, "I'm Sora."

"Sora…" she mused, "Ame must have told you of my feminist views."

"She may have mentioned," he answered stiffly.

"Please accept my apologies," she said, "I should have told you, Ame, in my letter that my views have changed."

"You mean you don't hate men anymore?" asked Ame in amazement with a slight blush.

"I admit it," the older lady bowed her head, "I've always been an icon among our people of extreme feminism. I hated men and everything about them. I thought they were all the same—weapon-toting brutes who only cared about themselves and their reputations, with not enough brains to fill an eggcup.

"But then I heard a story…about a young man who strayed from the path of light, and of the boy who risked everything to bring him back and to save the worlds and everyone he cared about." She looked up at Sora with slight tears in her eyes. Sora was kneeling now.

"It was _your_ story, Sora," she said humbly, "yours, and Riku's and Kairi's. When I heard you'd given your heart to save your princess, I didn't believe it at first. I couldn't believe such a young boy could have such strength and love in his heart that he would sacrifice himself without question just to save his friends."

Sora humbly bowed his head; he couldn't think of anything to say, and he didn't need to. She leaned over and gently touched his hand. He looked up at her.

"Your story changed me, young one," she smiled, "I see now that every person is different." Sora nodded and Master Hana turned her attention to the others.

"Which one of you is Riku?" she asked. Riku stepped forward and Ame helped Hana stand up. The old lady went to Riku and took his hand.

"Young man," she said, "if I have offended or harmed you in any way during my inner struggle, I am so sorry. I could see myself at times in the haze of the day; I was fighting you with terrible ferocity. I am only glad your heart was stronger than my rage. I hope it is strong enough to forgive me."

"Of course, Master Hana," Riku bowed, "I'm just glad it wasn't really your fault."

"Then let us start over," she said, "I am Hana of the Northern Water Tribe, waterbending master and Ame's former guardian."

"Greetings," he bowed, "I'm Riku Hakari, warrior of the Keyblade and Ame's boyfriend." Master Hana looked a bit surprised, then slid a sly glance at Ame.

"Ah, yes," she said, "Ame _told_ me she'd found herself a sweetheart. I'm pleased she chose you." After that, all other introductions were made and by the time everyone was calm again, it was near daybreak—time to get ready for school!

"Aw, man!" Sora said, smacking himself, "I'll _never_ stay awake in class!" That made everyone laugh, including the newly reformed Master Hana.

* * *

**Author's Review****:**  
Ha, ha! Talk about your plot twists, eh? That was great! Even while she was acting all crazy and possessed, Ame still ran to protect her! That really takes something special, doesn't it?

Did you guys like my homemade quote? :D Please review and leave cookies! And water bottles for Ame-chan! Love y'all!


	11. Back to the Boy Problem

Tonight, I have an announcement…

I'VE FINALLY FINISHED HANDWRITING THIS STORY! (fanfare, confetti!)

See, I recently discovered Jim Henson's _Labyrinth_, starring David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly in my local Blockbuster store, and…I…LOVE IT TO THE MAX!! I've always loved Jim Henson (especially since _The Dark Crystal_), but this takes the cake AND eats it! I love this movie! Needless to say, I'm embarking on another new fic quest and will be focusing on—you guessed it—_Labyrinth!_

I'll still be uploading to this story, so DON'T WORRY. I just wanted to share that with y'all. And now, on with the show!

* * *

_"Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City to take back the child that you have stolen."—_Jennifer Connelly as Sarah Williams, _Labyrinth_

* * *

**Chapter 10: Back to the Boy Problem**

At school, Ame found herself deeper in her problem with the boys. Tidus had just joined her to find four boys sitting on a bench, frozen to the wall behind it like a chain gang.

"What's going on?" he asked in confusion. Ame had her arms folded crossly.

"I was just reminding these hoodlums to keep their hands to themselves," she answered and got close to them with her eyes glowing, _**"Right?"**_

"Y-y-yes, ma'am," they stammered and nodded. Ame turned aside and marched off in a huff; Tidus trotted after her.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked as he walked beside her.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," she said, "I'm just getting sick of these boys always bothering me."

"Don't they know you're taken?" he asked.

"If they do, then they obviously don't care," she sniffed crossly, "I've been dealing with their crap all week!" She looked up and saw a bunch of guys standing by some lockers talking; one of them saw her and nudged one of his companions. They all got a mischievous look that Ame didn't like.

"Tidus," she asked quietly, "will you do something for me?"

"Anything," he said.

"Will you escort me down the hall?" she asked, "Those guys over there look like trouble." Tidus looked over at them and narrowed his eyes. He could smell trouble like a dog.

"Yeah," he nodded shortly and let her take his arm. Ame kept her face forward and tried to look normal but when they got close, the boys (a bunch of burly guys) stepped in their way.

"Hey, Ame," said one of them, "Where you goin'?"

"Not where you are, I'm sure," she said with cold venom.

"Whatcha doin' with Tidus?" said another one, "He your new boyfriend? Or does Granda's little princess need a bodyguard now?"

"Sad, isn't it?" said Ame heatedly, "I can't even walk around school and feel safe!"

"Do you mind?" Tidus added, "Ame and I have classes to get to."

"Hey, who asked _you_, pal?" said the first guy as he stepped forward, only to be stonewalled by Tidus, who gave him an evil eye.

"You stay away from this girl," he warned with a pointing finger, "or so help me, I will see to it _per_sonally that you never have children."

"We just want to talk to Ame," he shrugged innocently.

"Well, she doesn't want to talk to you," said Tidus dangerously, "Now move it or lose it."

"What's going on here?" said Riku, who moved through the crowd until he reached Ame, "Are you okay?" Ame rushed into his arms and buried her face in his chest; his heart fluttered briefly and he wrapped his arms around her and looked at Tidus.

"See that?" said Tidus, "She's taken; now bug off!" Then he turned and addressed the crowd that had assembled during the mounting tension.

"And that goes for the rest of you as well!" he shouted angrily, "You without girlfriends, go get your own! You _with_ girlfriends who've been hitting on her, stick with what you've got! You all ought to be ashamed of yourselves! Trying to come between what is obviously true love, and after all they've gone through! (He pointed his hand at the two lovers.) No one deserves to be together more than these two! They've gone through more than any of us could ever dream; the least you can do is leave them in peace!

"Life is hard enough when you're a teenager; why make it any harder?"

A shameful silence followed this speech; Ame didn't move her red-hot face from the soft folds of Riku's shirt. She was crying, partly because she was sick of all these jerks and partly because she was so touched by Tidus' fierce defense on their behalf (good thing her hair's down).

Riku held one arm around her back and covered her head with his other hand; he looked around at the faces of their fellow schoolmates. The boys who had hit on Ame at least once looked totally ashamed; the ones who hadn't looked totally bewildered. The girls looked either shocked, sympathetic, or just confused. He picked out Lini and Saila from the swim team; they looked horrified. Near the back, where the heavy double doors divided the hallway, stood Dennis with an ugly look. Riku frowned at him, then turned his head to the sound of two hands slowly clapping. Ame looked up, too.

Two of the jerks stepped aside to see who was clapping: It was Mr. Bevilaqua, the Assistant Swim Coach.

"Couldn't have said it better myself, Tidus," he said quietly, then more loudly, "Let's get to class, people! Bell rings in two minutes! Show's over! I suggest you all think about what was said here and adjust your attitudes before parent/teacher conferences become popular around here! Come on, folks! Scoot along! Let's move it!"

He went over to Riku and Ame and gently touched her.

"You all right, Ame?" he asked. She nodded wordlessly.

"Good," he said, "Riku, you two go on. Tidus, come with me. I want to hear what happened."

Riku kept his arms around Ame and they walked to class together. They were joined by Sora and Kairi.

"Riku, what happened?" said Kairi as they walked with them, "Someone said there was a fight about to break out!"

"Some idiots tried to pick up on Ame and were gonna cause trouble," Riku explained, "Tidus was with her."

"Ame, are you okay?" she said. Ame nodded.

"You'll feel better at the dance," Kairi smiled, trying to cheer her up. Ame nodded again with a smile.

"I really owe Tidus," she said quietly, "He helped me back there."

* * *

That night was the dance.

The gym was all decked out Valentine's Day style—heart balloons weighed down with ribbon-tied fancy weights, red tablecloths, pink streamers, a disco ball, heart-shaped sequin confetti, the works. DJ was, of course, the DJ on stage; he had a set playlist, but every few songs would be a special dedication.

Sora and the gang were all dressed up—the girls wore red dresses and the boys wore red ties. After a few songs, Roxas whispered something to Naminé and went up on stage to talk to DJ, who nodded.

"Okay, party people!" he said, "Listen up! We've got a special dedication here, and the dedicator wants to sing it himself!" He handed the microphone to Roxas, who nodded thanks and took center front (and if you can imagine his voice singing this, then you're as delightfully insane as I am!).

"I'd like to dedicate this to my beautiful angel," he smiled, "Happy Valentine's Day…Naminé."

A lot of giggling and squealing erupted at Roxas' charming smile and gentle voice; Naminé smiled with soft happiness and heard some girl say, "He's got _my_ vote for Most Attractive!"

A guitar strummed and Roxas sang.

_I need you, boo_

The girls screamed, which made Roxas grin.

_I've got to see you, boo  
and the hearts all over the world tonight  
said the hearts all over the world tonight_

"Wow, he's good," said Ame.

"Yeah," Naminé sighed dreamily.

_I need you, boo (oh-oh)  
I've gotta see you, boo (yeah, yeah)  
And the hearts all over the world tonight  
said the hearts all over the world tonight_

The love in Roxas' eyes as he looked at Naminé was pure and genuine and she and the others knew that every word he sang was true.

_Hey, little mama  
Ooh, you're a stunnah  
Hot little figure  
Yes, you're a winner, and  
I'm so glad to be yours  
You're a class all your own, and_

_Ooh, little cutie,  
when you talk to me,  
I swear the whole world stops  
You're my sweetheart, and  
I'm so glad that you're mine  
You are one of a kind, and_

_You mean to me  
what I mean to you, and  
together, baby,  
there is nothing we won't do  
'Cause if I got you,  
I don't need money  
I don't need cars  
Girl, you're my all_

He smiled brightly at Naminé and felt his heart fly.

_And oh,  
I'm into you  
and girl, no  
one else will do  
'Cause with every kiss  
and every hug  
You make me  
fall in love  
And now I  
know I can't be the only one  
I bet his heart's all over the world tonight  
with the love of their life  
who feel what I feel when I'm_

_with you, with you,  
with you, with you,  
with you (oh…)_

_With you, with you,  
with you, with you,  
with you!  
Oh, girl!_

At that, more girls giggled and held each other's hands like they were at a concert. Ame rolled her eyes amusingly and then focused on Riku as they danced and sang along.

_I don't want nobody else  
Without you, there's no one left and  
You're like Jordans on Saturday  
I gotta have you and I cannot wait now  
Hey, little shawty  
Say you care for me  
You know I care for you,  
you know that I'll be true,  
you know that I won't lie,  
you know that I will try  
to be your everything_

_'Cause if I got you,  
I don't need money  
I don't need cars  
Girl, you're my all!_

_(Repeat chorus…I just don't see the need to re-type it at this spot . Y'all know it, right?)_

_And I will never try to deny,  
'cause you are my whole life  
'cause if you ever let me go, I would die!  
So I won't run_

_I don't need another woman  
I just need you all or nothing_

_'Cause if I've got that,  
and I'll be straight,  
Baby, you're the best part of my day!_

Naminé held a fist to her face with her shoulders shrugged as she giggled and cried at the same time.

_I need you, boo  
I gotta see you, boo  
And the hearts all over the world tonight  
said the hearts all over the world tonight (boo, boo, yeah)_

_They need it, boo  
They gotta see their boo  
said the hearts all over the world tonight  
Hearts all over the world tonight_

_Oh, oh  
I'm into you  
And girl, no  
one else will do  
'cause with every kiss  
and every hug,  
you make me  
fall in love_

_And now I  
know I can't be the only one  
I bet his heart's all over the world tonight  
with the love of their life  
who feel what I feel when I'm_

_with you, with you,  
with you, with you,  
with you (gi-irl!)_

_With you, with you,  
with you, with you,  
with you!_

_(Repeat twice) Yeah!_

The crowd cheered for Roxas as he took a bow and pointed at his friends with a wink; Sora grinned brightly and pointed back. Ame and Kairi clapped and cheered and hugged Naminé, who was too happy to speak.

"Naminé, don't cry!" Ame exclaimed, "After he just sang that beautiful song, I don't think he wants to see you cry!"

"But that's why I'm crying," said Naminé as she wiped her eyes with the ball of her hand, "It was so beautiful…the words, his voice, his smile…everything made me so happy, I just had to cry!"

"If I made you cry, Naminé," said Roxas behind her, "I'm glad it was the happy kind." She spun to see him with a smile, joyfully said, "Roxas!" and threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"Maybe I should sing in public more often," Roxas grinned. They laughed and Roxas held his girlfriend close.

Ame beamed at them, then turned her head up; someone was singing "No One" by Alicia Keyes. It wasn't the original artist, but the person who was singing had a beautiful, strong voice that penetrated the soul of all who heard it. Ame looked at the stage, where a baby grand piano was being played by a woman in silhouette. The most Ame could make of her was short, flimsy hair, and she could've been wearing something small and tight.

"That voice…" she mused as Riku's arms slipped around her and his lips touched her head.

"It's beautiful," he said, closing his eyes as he murmured in her ear, "especially since the song is true." Ame blushed with wavering eyes as she listened to the words.

_No one  
no one  
no one  
can get in the way of what I'm feeling  
No one, no one, no one can get in the way of what I feel for you_

She turned to Riku with a smile; the disco lights brought his eyes to life and took her breath away. Riku held her around her waist and spun around with her in time to the music when it got to the ending vocalizations. No one saw the woman smiling as she played and sang, and no one noticed when she left; she'd slipped back into the shadows.

* * *

_The woman slipped out the backstage door to the outside; she looked up to her left and shinnied up the drainpipe, flipping backwards onto the roof and landing in a squat with a hand on the roof._

_"So you crashed the party after all," said a man behind her. She stood with a smile and allowed him to scoop her up around the waist and plant a deep kiss on her with a hand in her hair._

_"Were you watching?" she asked, still in his arms._

_"Yeah," the man nodded, "partly you, and partly them." She nodded understandingly._

_"What do you say we blow the kiddie pool," he invited, "and find a nice, secluded spot at the Purple Monkey?"_

_"A little later," she said deeply, "I've still got one more item of business to attend to."_

_"Is it the Big One?" he asked. She nodded. His eyes widened slightly._

_"Whoa…" She kissed him seductively._

_"I'll see you later, then," she murmured, "Wait up for me."_

_She swept a cape around herself and bounded away off the building and ran toward the beach. The man watched her go, then looked through a window at the Keyblade kids; they were laughing. He chuckled._

_"Boy are you in for a surprise tonight," he said as he looked at the diamond sky. He then jumped off and headed in another direction._

* * *

**Author's Review****:**  
Duh-duh-duh-duh—DUUUUH! Mysterious visitors singing pop songs that I don't own? At a high school dance? Roxas singing Chris Brown, which I also don't own? Mwahahahahaha! I love cliffies! It keeps you guys on your toes!

Tell me what you think! Review, bring cookies, hang out, whatever! See ya!


	12. Attack of the Fire Shadow

Some of you may have noticed that Ame's been tapping into her magical powers a little more lately; she's developing her skills! Yay! Dennis will return to the story in this chapter, only this time, it's worse! Oh, no! Plus, the true identity of Mr. Bevilaqua the Assistant Swim Coach IS REVEALED!!

Okay, this chapter's quote is from a author named **sakura-charmed,** whose work I've recently started reading; this quote is from a fic she did for "Labyrinth" called "One Last Time." I really liked it, so I asked for her permission to quote it in my next update (which is now) and she so graciously said yes! So, please thank her for this lovely quote!

* * *

_"They say that love is a paradox. It may cause great happiness, or otherwise, extreme pain. It is talked about frequently but is hard to define—a surfeit of writers and analysts have tried and failed to capture its whole meaning and summarize it in their own words. Everyone will eventually experience love, which will either leave them satisfied or starved for more."—_**sakura-charmed**, "One Last Time"

* * *

**Chapter 11:Attack of the Fire Shadow**  
Ame was having the time of her life with her friends laughing, talking, dancing, even waterbending some of the punch for anyone who asked.

She'd just been laughing at something Sora had said when something tugged at the back of her mind and captured her attention. It felt urgent and needful, and she thought of one person.

_'Selphie!'_

"Hey, Riku," she beamed normally, "I gotta go to the bathroom; I'll be right back!"

"'Kay," he smiled as she trotted off.

Once she closed the heavy door to the gym, she set her face and pushed her back against it; she held her coffee thermos by the shoulder strap and with one hand she loosened the back strings of her red dress so she could move freely. Her dress skirt was one that twirled out beautifully, so it would also serve her quick movements. The neckline was a poncho-type that also twirled a bit, draping over the chest and shoulders, which made it into the sleeves as well.

With her dancing sandals in one hand and her thermos on a shoulder, Ame stepped lightly and rapidly with her right hand spread against the wall, which glowed yellow on her palm—it was her trusty tracking spell, the same one that had helped her save Ulna Preston on Vagan's Isle.

She sped up, sensing a heightening danger. She could hear Selphie making outcries of distress outside a door that led behind the building.

Quietly as she could, Ame slipped out the door into the crisp night; she looked down the sidewalk that separated the gym from the wrestling building and instantly gasped and covered her mouth with horror: Selphie was being held against the brick wall and slapped by none other than our perverted friend, Dennis!

"No, Dennis!" she was crying, "Let me go! Don't do this!"

"I'm sick of taking 'no' for an answer!" he shouted as he vice-gripped her wrists. Selphie's cries of pain echoed in the halls of Ame's memory as her own and she began to have flashbacks of the attempt made on her months ago by a desperate boy who let a sick man push him around.

Ame shut her eyes in a cold sweat; feelings began to bubble inside her of a violent nature, like still waters suddenly sent into a churn. She had flashbacks of her own experience, but they were soon replaced by the cries of an older voice, and instead of blond hair flashing in her mind, there were black dredlocks. She felt cold and exposed, like she was naked.

_'Where are these feelings coming from?'_ she thought as she tried to focus on Selphie, _'Whose memories are these?'_

Her eyes flew open when Selphie screamed; he was holding her to the cold ground now! The boiling inside her intensified as some unknown power began to stir violently.

"_**NOOOOOO!"**_ Ame screamed as the power burst from her body in the form of a fire shadow that looked just like Axel! (It's a fire form that looks like him, if that's clearer.)

"AXEL?" she freaked out.

The fire shadow surged at Dennis, chakrams spinning and fire spreading behind him; with expert precision, it kicked him off of Selphie and threw its flaming chakrams at him. As he screamed in pain, Selphie scrambled backwards to her feet and planted herself to the wall. Still shocked at what was happening, Ame ran to her and the two girls clung to each other. Dennis was getting badly burned—not that he didn't deserve it, but the last thing Ame wanted was a murder victim.

She placed a hand over Selphie's wrist and faced the fire shadow.

"STOP!" she called. The shadow stopped, then raised a chakram over Dennis.

"I SAID STOP!" she yelled louder, "AXEL, STOP!" The fire shadow lowered its arm and turned its face to Ame; the face had eyes with no pupils and no mouth, but Axel's cheek marks were there. Ame's eyes widened as she looked at him with Selphie cowering behind her. It walked over to Ame and knelt on one knee with its head bowed; then it disappeared in a puff of wind.

"Oh!" Selphie jumped. Dennis groaned and sat up, holding his left arm.

"Son of a (deleted)," he muttered under his breath.

"Stay here, Selphie," Ame said quietly and went to Dennis.

"Let me look at that, Dennis," she told him.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" he scooted back and grabbed a rock, "GET AWAY FROM ME! WITCH!" He threw the rock at her, followed by several others, but she dodged them. Dennis then screamed like a mad man and pounced her.

"Ame!" cried Selphie.

"Stay back!" said Ame as she struggled under Dennis' grip. Before anything good or bad could happen, something _strange_ happened: The ground under Ame slid back, taking her with it and away from him. They both looked surprised for a split second (Ame hadn't done it!), then the pavement around Dennis slanted itself up and lifted him upright against his arms with his feet dangling a breath off the ground. A brick flew from the building and clocked him upside the head; he fell unconscious.

This had all happened in a matter of seconds and left Ame and Selphie in considerable shock, but no time was left for them to process it in their minds before a man stepped into the moonlight from behind the building and stopped next to Dennis.

"Are you girls all right?" he asked. The concern in his voice gave him away.

"Mr. Bevilaqua?" she said, "Is that you?"

"I guess I'll take that as a yes," he smirked with his hands in his pockets; he kicked the ground with his left heel and the sidewalk pavement holding Dennis went back to normal; he caught the boy with one arm and slung him over his shoulder.

Ame's eyes popped open and she gasped.

"YOU'RE AN EARTHBENDER?" she freaked out.

"Hush up," said the Assistant Coach, "That's not important now; take Selphie home and don't worry about Dennis. I'll take care of him. Understand?"

Ame had a thousand questions buzzing in her head, but her respect for her elders teamed up with patience and she nodded. He was right; Selphie needed more attention than anyone right now.

"Yes, Mr. Bevilaqua," she bowed slightly and turned to Selphie.

"I have something for you, Selphie," she said as she opened her thermos, "It'll help you." She dipped her thumb and forefinger inside like she was picking something out; she pulled out a soft-white cloth that was as big as a baby blanket when it came completely out. Ame whipped it out a few times and wrapped it around Selphie.

"Thank you," said Selphie, "What is it?" Ame wrapped an arm around her friend's back.

"It's a Healing Blanket," she said as she herded her gently away, "It'll dissolve into your body little by little, healing your wounds, calming your mind, and soothing your spirit as it does. You've been through a horrendous ordeal tonight, so I thought you needed it."

"Thank you," said Selphie as she cried. Ame could feel her thoughts and feelings: She felt ashamed and humiliated! She held her hand gently and softly crooned to her while they walked to Selphie's house. The white blanket slowly disappeared as they did and by the time Selphie was home, it was transparent.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Ame asked gently. She nodded.

"Your magic blanket really helps," she said slightly cheerfully, "Will _you_ be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Ame beamed, "Just keep your doors and windows locked, think of a pretty song, and you'll sleep dreamlessly."

"Thank you, Ame," Selphie bowed, "You're a wonderful friend."

"You're welcome," she answered, "Have a good sleep." They hugged and Selphie went inside. Ame stood there on the sidewalk with a slight breeze playing with her hair; her thoughts left her in the form of tears.

_'I'm so confused,'_ she thought, _'So many things happened tonight. What's going on with the universe?'_

Just then, her cell phone rang; she forgot about the little pocketbook tied to her waist.

She picked up her phone and looked at it: It was Riku.

"Hi," she smiled, "Yeah, I'm fine. (…) Oh, nothing; I just helped Selphie out a pickle, she's okay. I'll have to tell you about it tomorrow. Listen, um, I'm a little tired, so I'm just gonna head home. (…) Yeah! I promise everything's okay. I'll call you when I get home. (…) Okay; see you tomorrow. I love you. (…) Bye."

No sooner had she snapped her phone shut than a salty breeze came from the beach with soft piano music drifting on it. Ame closed her eyes and concentrated on its beauty; she knew this song.

_'Evanescence,'_ she thought as her eyes opened back up, _'That's 'Hello!' It's coming from the beach.'_ Almost unbidden, her bare feet carried her down the street towards the beach, obeying the call of the song.

_Playground school bell rings  
again_

Ame stopped dead when she heard the voice that was singing; it was the mystery singer from the dance! No other voice could touch Ame's soul the way this one did!

Ame clutched her shoes in her hand and broke into a run.

_Rain clouds come to play  
again_

That last word had come from Ame as well as the voice she was following, and it surprised her; it was as if the voice was inviting hers to sing with it! She kept running and singing. The music itself was calling to her.

_Has no one told you she's not breathing?  
Hello  
I am your mind  
giving you someone to talk to  
Hello_

She made it to the beach; for a moment, Ame just stood there with her toes in the cool sand and stared out at the midnight blue sky and the dark blue ocean. The churning sound of the waves was soothing, the rhythm of life in the Destiny Islands.

Ame turned her head to the right, where the music drifted on the salty breeze. She sang along, feeling the difference blur between her own voice and that of the mystery singer.

_If I smile and don't  
believe  
Soon, I know I'll wake  
from this dream_

The song was beautiful and calm, but sad as well; Ame felt safe for some reason. She sensed no malicious intentions from this strange occurrence; she just sang and walked.

_Don't try to fix me  
I'm not broken  
Hello  
I am the lie  
living for you so you can hide  
Don't cry_

She knew she was getting closer now as the music led her to a dune on the edge of a forest; she walked slowly up with her hair and dress blowing sideways in the wind with a hypnotic look in her deep blue eyes. She saw a woman sitting on the ground with her legs crossed (Indian style), playing a keyboard that sounded like a baby grand piano. She was wearing a white, spaghetti-strap tank top that was loose at the bottom and black leather pants that accentuated her figure yet allowed her to move freely; her hair was light in texture and light purple and shoulder-length, her lips were rose red, and her eyes were shaped like almonds, their color like glittering dark emeralds.

Ame knew her instantly.

_Suddenly,_ she finished the song to express her surprise, _I know I'm not sleeping!_

Hello!  
I'm still here,  
all that's left of yesterday

The last notes dropped to a soft linger as the woman finished the music. Ame stopped in front of her with calm knowing and hidden excitement. They looked at each other.

"You know me," Ame said, not asked, "I'm Ame…the girl you used to be."

* * *

**Author's Review****:**  
Holy crap, what an AWESOME way to end a chapter! The most dramatic cliffy in this whole story, I think!

I've used that Evanescence song before, in a Jimmy Neutron story…I don't own that song, either. Also, I'd like to mention that the outfit the woman is wearing is NOT something I condone. I prefer T-shirts and capris and long skirts; I don't know why I'm having her dress like this, except to say that not every character in a fic has to be like you. This is a character I _don't _want to be like, as far as dress code goes. I'm sure some of y'all have characters like that, right?

Please review!


	13. The Me I Never Knew

Well, I certainly hope y'all are excited as I am! Ame is about to meet her Nobody in person for the first time ever! (sort of) Hope you enjoy it and this special patriotic quote! HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

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_"Thy banners make tyranny tremble when worn by the red, white, and blue."—_I don't know who wrote it, but it's _Columbia, The Gem of the Ocean_

* * *

**Chapter 12: The "Me" I Never Knew**  
The woman smiled at her and stood up; she was older and taller than she was. She had to be in her mid-twenties or something. She was gorgeous, too; her figure was the kind most women only dreamed of—the kind you saw in medieval movies where all the ladies wore corsets, like Keira Knightley. She was downright sexy.

Now that Ame was out of her trance, she let her curiosity sparkle in her eyes.

"You're her, aren't you?" she breathed, approaching the woman with excitement, "You're the girl I dreamed about! You're my Nobody, right? What's your name?" (She'd forgotten)

"My name's Talni," the woman smiled, "and yeah; I am your Nobody." She played with Ame's hair and looked her over like an older sister that hadn't seen her for years…and it was kind of true, except this was the first time they'd ever met, even though they basically _were_ each other.

"But I don't understand," said Ame, wide-eyed, "You've got to be 10 years older than me; how are you my Nobody?"

"I really don't know," she shook her head, "That memory is still fuzzy; but you're right about my age. I'm _exactly_ 10 years older than you."

"So if you're my Nobody," said Ame, "you must be a waterbender, too!"

"Yep," she nodded, "I am half of you, after all."

"Wow…" Ame smiled with her eyes sparkling; she finally had another waterbender on the island to practice with!

Then her face snapped to an irritated pout as she realized something.

"WELL, I SURE COULD'VE USED _**YOU**_ THREE DAYS AGO!" she ranted with her arms waving around and her head gigantic, "WHERE WERE YOU? I GOT THE CRAP BEATEN OUT OF ME BECAUSE SENSEI WAS POSSESSED BY A HEARTLESS AND SHE NEARLY KILLED MY BOYFRIEND!"

"Sensei is _here?_" said Talni, "You have a _boyfriend?_"

"Yes and yes," Ame answered, her cheeks sizzling, "Sensei's visiting while Grandma's away, and I'm dating Riku, the Keyblade Knight." (She loved saying that).

"_Riku?_" Talni looked surprised, "The silver-haired 16-year-old? (Ame nodded shyly) You sure bagged yourself a hottie! You truly are my original self!" Ame blushed.

"If you're my Nobody, and you're older than me, does that mean I'll look like you when I grow up?" she asked.

"I imagine so," said Talni, "Come on, let's go for a walk. I think we have a lot to catch up on."

So the two waterbenders walked along the beach together; Ame told Talni everything that had happened to her since moving to the islands and the boy problem she was having now. Talni couldn't help but laugh. Ame blushed uncomfortably.

"It's not funny," she objected profusely, "I just want them to leave me alone so I can be happy with my boyfriend and my friends and family! Is that really too much to ask?"

"I don't know," said the older woman, "Maybe it is." When Ame looked incredulous at her, she explained. "Honey, women like us can't help being the way we are—beautiful, charming, powerful, terrifying when we want to be…"

"And so modest about it," Ame smiled wryly.

"Right," Talni winked, "so it comes with the territory that we're going to run into trouble once in a while."

"But this isn't just once in a while, Talni," Ame said as they stopped near the waves, "This happens every day, for the past two weeks! I've got half a mind to go on a waterbending/celestial magic rampage and mow down every guy that so much as looks at me funny, like the Avatar State!"

"And I don't doubt it would work, either," Talni chuckled, "But then think of all the legal cleanup Grandma would have to go through."

"Yeah, I know," Ame bowed her head, then looked at her, "Hey! You've met Grandma?"

"Yep," she nodded, "She's the reason I'm whole, and she put me up in a beach house on the South Side. I'm working to buy it from her, too. She told me I could have it, but I told her it would help us both; I'd learn financial independence, and she'd make a bit of a profit…not that she really needs it, but it'll make _me_ feel better."

"_That's_ cool of you," said Ame, "So what _do_ you do?"

"I teach horseback at Palm Leaf Stables, which, as you know, is one of Granda's stables," she answered.

"Cool," smiled Ame, "I'll have to come by sometime! So…got a boyfriend?"

"Yes," she answered, "and you'll meet him before too long, I promise."

"Man," Ame shook her head, "this is so much to take in. I mean, I have a Nobody that's older than me, I've just saved Selphie, been at a dance, gone through two weeks' worth of drama, and I haven't even heard from Grandma yet!"

Talni beamed one of those, "how cute she is" beams and touched Ame's head.

"I heard she's re-marrying Ansem," she said, "That's wonderful! She told me everything about them."

"How long have you been whole?" Ame asked.

"About a month now," Talni answered, "and I'm sorry I didn't meet you sooner; I wanted to get my feet off the ground and establish a life before doing that. I hope you understand."

It was like she'd read her mind…of course, Ame thought, she was her Nobody, right? Right!

"One other question," she asked, "what's with the get-up? Isn't it a little…risqué?"

Talnie shrugged.

"I like it," she said simply, "It's hot out, and the leather's good for Harleys!"

Ame blushed a bit; this was _not_ the kind of dress code she'd grown up with herself. Why was her Nobody dressed this way? What kind of person did she make herself into?

"O-okay," she scratched her head, "If that's what you like…"

"I know what you're thinking," said Talni, "You have a Nobody who dresses totally out of your code and you're worried about how it'll look for Granda, right?"

Ame's face went red; she was half right. What she didn't guess was that it also made Ame question herself: Her Nobody dressed questionably, but she was also half of Ame. Was there some part of Ame that was the rebellious "bad girl" type?

_'Of __**course**__ there is, stupid!'_ her conscience reminded her, _'Every girl has that; it's totally normal! It's just the only time you're like that is when on the battlefield! You think Mighty Katara won all her battles being nice?' _

_'That's right_,'she thought, _'I worry too much!'_

"So what do we do now?" she asked as she watched the moonlight rippling on the glossy, dark water.

"Go home and get some sleep," said Talni as she stretched her arms overhead, "I'm gonna be busy for the next couple of days, but I'll contact you again."

"I'll be waiting," Ame smiled, "Good night, Talni."

"Good night, Ame."

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**Author's Review****:**  
Not a very exciting chapter, I know. Don't worry; the next one will be as dramatic as can be, but has nothing to do with either Talni or Axel. It's another Ame vs. Boys chapter, but I think you'll like it! Later, everybody!


	14. Ame Freaks Out

Well, readers, I promised you a dramatic next chapter, and here it is! It starts out having to do with Roxas a bit, then slips into Ame. It'll make sense later.

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_"We will all hang together or, most assuredly, we will all hang separately."—_Benjamin Franklin (Happy Independence Day!)

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**Chapter 13: Ame Freaks Out**  
"You met your Nobody last night?" Kairi sparked at lunch the next day, "Ame, that's amazing!"

"Yeah," Sora agreed, "Random, but amazing!"

"And she's 10 years older?" Riku said, "I wonder how that happened."

"She doesn't know, either," said Ame, "It was so weird; she looked just like me!" She noticed Roxas hadn't spoken.

"You okay, Roxas?" she asked.

"Yeah," he nodded, "I'm just thinking." Ame could tell by the look on his face that he was thinking seriously about a _lot_, but of what? Was he thinking about her Nobody? He _had_ said he knew her.

"Ah!" he said suddenly and put a hand to his head with his face scrunched up in pain. They all looked up at him with varying degrees of surprise and concern.

"Roxas?" said Ame. Naminé reached out to touch him, but he stood up.

"I've gotta go," he said quickly as he grabbed his backpack and walked out into the sunshine.

"What happened?" said Kairi.

"I'll make sure he's okay," said Sora as he stood up and grabbed his stuff, "See you in Bio, Kairi!"

Now we'll leave Riku and the girls in the dark for a little while and follow Sora down one of the dirt paths around the corner of the cafeteria building, from which he could see Roxas leaning on a big, old oak tree dubbed The Climbing Tree by all Destiny High students by virtue of its many huge limbs that were so easy for climbing.

Sora ran up and touched his twin on the shoulder.

"Hey," he asked, "what's wrong, man?"

"I'm not sure," he answered in a somewhat strained voice, "I…I'm having flashbacks…of back then…"

"Of the Organization?" Sora guessed, concerned.

"Yeah," said Roxas, "when I was Number 13…The Key of Destiny." He sat down on one of the tree's roots, keeping his hand to his head; Sora sat next to him.

"It's okay," he said with a brotherly arm behind his shoulders, "I'm right here; tell me everything. What do you see?"

"Axel," was the first thing he said, "He's my best friend…the one I look up to and depend on, like a big brother. He takes care of me and keeps me out of trouble."

_'That's why Axel said all that to me when he disappeared,'_ Sora thought, then said, "Go on; what else do you see?"

"A beach," said Roxas, "at sunset. We moved to another castle after Castle Oblivion; I was glad we were so close to the beach. It makes me feel free. I'm sitting on a stone-laid wall that's the bottom of a hill, and the whole wall is like a sheer cliff. You get what I mean?"

"Yeah," Sora nodded.

"Now I see," Roxas continued, "darkness. Images are passing through too quickly; I see a color…It's purple! Now green…now black."

Suddenly his eyes flew open; both his hands were at the sides of his head now and he was bent over.

"What?" Sora asked, "What do you see?"

"Her face," he murmured with quivering eyes, "etched in the dark corners of my heart. I see her!"

"Who?" demanded Sora, "Naminé?"

"No," he shook his head and looked at him, "Talni…The Liquid Goddess."

"Ame's Nobody?" Sora popped, "That's right! You said you knew her!"

"She was in the Organization for a while," Roxas said with his eyes shut and his head in one hand, "but then she left…like me." He looked up at Sora, who looked shocked.

"Ame's Nobody was part of Organization 13?" he said, "Does Ame know that?"

"If she doesn't now, she will soon enough," Roxas answered, calmer now, "Let Talni tell her in her own time."

"Are you gonna be okay?" Sora asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," said his brother as he stood, "Come on; let's get to class."

* * *

Ame sat in her Biology class busily writing her assignment; the whole class was assigned to silence and the teacher was busy at his desk.

"Hey, Ame," whispered a male voice behind her.

"What?" she whispered back, not missing a stroke of the pencil.

"Do you know what page the stamens are on for the flower part?"

"263," she answered.

"Thanks." He returned to his work while Ame gave an inward sigh of relief with a small smile. Finally, a guy had asked her a question that wasn't a hit-on!

"Ame?" softly called Jim Nubeck, Lini's boyfriend, "Could you tell Lini to call me when you see her?" She gave a thumbs-up to indicate she'd heard and would comply.

"Thanks!" Things were starting to look up for Ame; a boyfriend hadn't hit on her behind his girlfriend's back! Yay!

_'Maybe Tidus got through to them after all!'_ she thought, _'But then, Jim hadn't asked me out even before, so that's good, too.'_ She knew Lini had certain standards for men, and she never would've dated anyone who would even _think_ of cheating on her. Jim was a good boy and had sympathized when Lini told him what Ame was going through.

Ame's inner revelry was interrupted by another "Hey, Ame" from another boy.

"What?" she muttered, still looking at what she was doing.

"Ever swim naked in the moonlight?" Ame's face flared an insulted red. She spun to see who it was; it was no one she knew personally, but she picked him out by his sneer.

"Ever wonder what it feels like to have your 'equipment' frozen solid?" she responded venomously, a few strands of hair in front of her narrowed eyes.

"Something wrong, Ms. Megami?" the teacher asked.

"Yes sir, there is," she said as she stood up by her desk, "The young man three rows behind me to my right has just posed me a lewd and suggestive question, and I felt it appropriate to retaliate with as much indignity as he deserves to have wasted on him. I'm sorry if this disrupted the class."

"Thank you, Ms. Megami," the teacher nodded as Ame sat back down, "That was very well-spoken. Would the young man in question please stand?"

He did.

"Ah, yes," said the teacher, "Tyler, the self-proclaimed Ladies Man. Did you pose a lewd question to Ms. Megami here?"

"Yes sir, I did," the boy said shamelessly, almost casually.

"And do you know that that sort of behavior is not tolerated in my classroom?" the teacher asked, his aura steadily turning dangerous.

"Yes, sir," the boy answered, his tone now devoid of all smugness and replaced with near-nervousness.

"And if I were to, say, have you written up for Class Disruption, do you think Principal Maltin would think twice about suspending you for two days?"

"No, sir," said the boy.

"Well, then," he said with his eyes narrowed, "I suggest you quit now, while I'm still mulling it over before you make my decision for me."

"Yes, sir," said the boy, who quickly sat back down.

"And what do you say to Ms. Megami?" asked the teacher.

"I'm sorry, Ame," he said, feeling humiliated, "I won't talk to you that way again."

"Thank you," said Ame with smug cheerfulness, still writing her assignment while her insides did a gloating dance.

After class, though, Tyler approached her dangerously.

"You've got some kinda nerve callin' me out like that," he said, his cheeks sizzling with embarrassment.

"You've got some kinda nerve insulting me in the middle of Silent Time," she bit back, "You should've kept your trap shut. Don't dish out what you can't take back." He pushed her violently against the lockers with one hand on the plate of her chest; this alarmed her considerably.

"I could say the same to you," he seethed, "Little Miss I'm-all-that-'cause-I'm-rich!"

"I don't think I'm all that," she said hatefully, her honor wounded. She grabbed his shirt, slammed _him_ against the lockers, and froze him to them with her thermos water. Eyes narrowed, she got close to his face.

"I _**am**_ all that," she said spitefully, "and _not_ 'cause I'm rich. I'm all that because I can kick any butt in this school, including yours! Remember _that_ next time you even _think_ about talking dirty to me!"

She strode away to his left, blending in with the after-school crowd.

"Hi, Ame!" Sora chirped, "Ready to head home?"

"I'm not going home, Sora," she said angrily, stopping him with surprise.

"What do you mean?" he asked as he trotted after her.

"I'm going away for the weekend," she answered as she briskly draped her blue jacket around her shoulders and walked down the main stairs outside. Her limo car was waiting (not an actual limousine) with Millie in the driver's seat.

"Where?" Sora persisted. Ame opened the car door and looked at him.

"As far away from boys as possible!" she shouted as she got in.

"Huh?" said Sora as the car drove away. He scratched his head, wondering what _that_ was all about.

"Sora!" called Kairi as she and Riku caught up with him, "Was that Ame? Where'd she go?"

"Quote," said Sora, "'As far away from boys as possible,' end quote."

"What?" Riku asked, perplexed, "What did you say to her?"

"Nothing to make her blow up like that," he answered. Kairi got out her cell phone and speed-dialed Ame.

_"Voicemail?"_ she exclaimed, "She _never_ lets it ring!"

"Unless she gets to her phone too late," Sora mused, "It's happened before."

"What else did she say, Sora?" Riku demanded.

"Only that she's going away for the weekend," he answered, "I've never seen her so ticked off before!"

"Question is," said Kairi, "at whom? And why?"

"Come on," said Riku as they walked to his car, "I'll drop you guys off and head for her house. Maybe I can talk to her before she does anything drastic."

* * *

Ame looked sadly at her phone and sighed; that was the fifth time in as many minutes that Kairi had tried to call. She closed her eyes.

_'I'm sorry, Kairi,'_ she thought, _'but I just can't think about any of you right now. I'm tired and frustrated; I can't be around anyone on this island, not even you. I need distraction and a change of scene.'_

"Millie," she said quietly as they pulled in at home, "have Ichi-san take my things inside and tell Merv to have _The Phoenix_ ready to shove off." (If y'all remember, she only gives orders like that when she's upset.)

"Yes, ma'am." Two minutes later, Ame and Millie were on _The Phoenix_, one of Granda's many yachts; the only things Ame had brought from home were her thermos, a pack of clothes, (she'd changed outfits) and her cell phone, which she turned off.

Her destination was Palm Island, the ultimate vacation and relaxation spot for pampering, meditation, and people waiting on you hand and foot. It was also the home of Palm Island College, the only college in the Destiny Islands (so far).

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**Author's Review****:**  
Uh-oh! Ame's headed off for paradise! She MUST be upset! What a jerk, though, wasn't he?

Stay tuned for the next chapter; you won't BELIEVE who appears! ;D


	15. Vacation Partners

This chapter brings back another character from the last story; I hope you'll like this chapter!

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_"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."—__The Declaration of Independence_

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**Chapter 14: Vacation Partners**  
_The Phoenix_ pulled into harbor in an empty spot between two other yachts; the one to her left had people on it—servants and a young lady her age with green hair blowing in the wind over a frilly, royal blue baby-T and a red mini-skirt. Ame recognized her with a red pencil blush and when the girl saw her, her eyes lit up.

_"Ame?"_ she shouted loudly as she ran off her own yacht, down the pier, and onto _The Phoenix._

"Ulna!" said Ame with surprise, "You look fantastic!"

She did, too; when Ame had first met her, Ulna Kishoshi-Preston had been lying unconscious in a cold sweat in a basement storage room, pale as death. Now she was radiant and gorgeous and obviously getting that tan back.

"I can't believe this!" Ulna bubbled, "You and me on the same island, in the same harbor, right next to each other! Is Riku here with you?"

"Um, no," Ame blushed sheepishly, "I just came by myself. I, uh…need a break."

"Oh, I know just what you mean," Ulna winked, "We all need a break from our men once in a while."

"Actually…" Ame said, "It's not that. It's…complicated."

"Well, come on, then!" Ulna smiled with an arm around her, "Let's take a walk-and-talk! We'll shop 'til we drop, then head back to the hotel I'm staying at! Sound good?"

Ame studied her for a minute; she looked like she was good for conversation, but problems? Then again, Ame needed a familiar and friendly face, and Ulna seemed to know her way around.

She smiled.

"Okay," she said, "Let's go!"

"Wonderful!" said Ulna, "By the way, I'd like you to meet my entourage." She snapped her fingers and was soon flanked by five people.

"Ame," she said, "this is Steff, Yorick, Heidi, Gretel, and Will Scarlet." She leaned in and whispered behind her hand, "He's from Georgia; know what I mean?"

"He's an expert knife-slinger?" Ame guessed (anyone seen "Men In Tights"?).

"Huh?" said Ulna, "No, Will's an award-winning archer, a real sharpshooter. _Heidi's_ the knife-slinger; Gretel's got a pet hawk patrolling the sky, so we call her Hawk-Eye and Yorick's fists could put a hole through an iron wall."

"What about Steff?" Ame asked.

"He's a mute eunuch," said Ulna.

"Ah…" Ame nodded, "Um…Nice to meet you all! This is Millie, she's my maid…just my maid."

Millie curtsied politely and Ulna's group nodded back.

"Well!" Ulna rubbed her hands together, "Now that we're all acquainted, shall we?"

Half an hour later, Ame and Ulna were at the Frilly Skirts Ladies Spa, getting pampered out the wazoo; they were currently garbed in fluffy white robes and slippers, reclining in comfy spa chairs. Their hair was being luxuriantly combed in steaming, flower-scented water with aloe in it; each girl had a manicurist doing their nails, facial cream on their faces, and cucumber slices on their eyes. Ame was still telling Ulna all about her trouble with the boys, but with all the comfort seeping into her, it was becoming increasingly difficult to stay upset (especially with the genius French manicure on her nails!).

"I know what that's like, believe me," said Ulna sympathetically, "Boys used to flank me left and right; I go to an all-girls school, so that made me more elusive _and_ more desirable. I used to enjoy all the attention—they'd carry my books, hold open doors, pull out chairs, throw jackets on puddles, all that sort of thing. I didn't care about any of them; they amused me, even when they fought over me. I was a horrid little girl and I neither knew nor cared. _'You're an absolute wretch,'_ Nanny always said, _'A beast in a beautiful shell, that's what you are. It'll take nothing less than a wizard to conquer something like you.'"_

"A wizard, huh," smiled Ame, "So what happened?"

"One day I left school with my usual fan club when a couple of bullies showed up. They scared off most of the boys and beat up the rest; I was scared, of course, but then I felt an arm around me and a jacket was swept over my head and I squatted down. When I opened my eyes and stood up, I was on top of a building!

"I was terrified! But then I felt his arms around me and his jacket was on my shoulders; I looked beside me and saw his brown eyes shining at me. I'd seen him before, but this was the first time I'd ever met Raca Howl Preston the 4th, Esquire."

"What happened then?" Ame couldn't help asking.

"He said, _'Sorry for frightening you like this, but those bullies look pretty nasty.'_ After stammering like a moron, I finally managed to say it was all right and thank you. Then he asked me where I lived and I stammered that, too. Guess what he did _then."_

"He took your hand, literally swept off your feet, and gently landed you on your balcony?" Ame smiled.

"How did you know?" Ulna asked in amazement.

"Because I watch movies," Ame answered wryly, "Raca seems to be true to his hero worship of Howl."

"That's true," Ulna nodded, "The next day, my boys were waiting for me again. Before we left, though, Raca walked up to my group; he didn't say anything. He just walked right up to me and held out his hand. I took it and left my boys wide-eyed and mouths agape. We've been together ever since."

Ame smiled again under her cucumber slices.

"You do know these cucumbers don't do a thing, right?" she finally said.

"Of course," said Ulna, removing hers, "but they're so much fun!"

They laughed.

Later, as they were mall-shopping, Ulna posed Ame a question.

"Does Granda know you're gone?" Ame shook her head.

"No," she said, "She's away on business; this was a spur of the moment kind of thing."

"What about your friends?" Ulna asked with slight shock, "And Riku? Didn't you tell _anyone?"_

Ame bowed her head with a nose-and-cheeks pencil blush across her face.

"No?" Ulna gawked, "They must be worried _sick!"_

"I can take care of myself," Ame mumbled uncomfortably, "Riku and the others know that."

"Well, I'm sure they do," said Ulna, "but still, not knowing where you are, your phone turned off, your house folk in the dark, anyone would be worried! Even if _you_ know you're safe, _they_ don't."

Ame could feel her conscience giving her the Evil Eye and it made her squirm inside; apparently, Ulna was a little wiser than Ame had given her credit for.

"You're right," she finally said, "but if I talk to them right now, even Riku, it'll remind me of all the problems waiting for me at home. I just can't deal with that right now."

"Don't worry," Ulna touched her shoulder kindly, "I'll help you get rid of that pesky stress. We've done well so far, what with the pampering and shopping! Come on; you pick the next stop!"

Ame chose the Art Museum, then they had lunch at a teen spot that had a DDR game, which Ame conquered. Ulna then dragged Ame over to a make-up place that gave them impressive makeovers and they took glamour shots. After that, they went to a Western Times photo place (I don't know if that's the official name—DON'T SUE ME) and took old Western black-and-white photos; Millie and the other servants carried their packages the entire time because, as Ulna said, "That's what they're there for!"

That night at the Glittery Palm Hotel, Ulna changed her room to one with two beds and conjoining rooms for Millie and the entourage. Her room had a balcony with rose vines climbing up the wall, a tall paopu tree next to the rail, and a beautiful panoramic view of the ocean.

Ame and Ulna sat back in comfy patio chairs sipping lemonade, provided by Heidi the knife slinger.

"I gotta hand it to ya, Ulna," Ame said appreciatively, "You make one heck of a vacation buddy."

"Likewise," smiled Ulna, "You're really fun; I'm so glad we finally got to do something together! It's so nice to unwind and forget life once in a while."

Ame looked thoughtfully at Ulna, whose green hair was fluffed out by the wind and spa care.

"I've tragically underestimated you, Ulna," she confessed, "I thought all you knew was being rich and married with not a care in the world to worry you. I had no idea what kind of person you could be; I never thought you were anything more than a spoiled, rich wizard's wife that cared all about parties and class and social order, because that's the world you live in. Me…I'm not part of that world at all. I wasn't brought up like a princess."

"No," Ulna agreed, "You were brought up like a person, taught to care about the difference between right and wrong. You learned how to take care of yourself, how to protect those around you, how to struggle, how to stand and fight, how to _live._ I envy that about you."

"I'm a waterbender," Ame shrugged, "That's how we're raised. You _have_ to learn all those things, especially in the Water Tribe. How else are you going to survive traveling a world fraught with danger and adventure?"

"Excuse me, ladies," Millie curtsied, "Your pay-per-view movie is about to come on."

Both girls' eyes lit up and they jumped up.

"Thanks, Millie!" Ame nearly squealed as she and Ulna collapsed on the couch and were served popcorn by Steff.

"One thing I'm glad of that we _both_ know," grinned Ulna, "We both know how to be girls!"

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**Author's Review****:**  
I certainly hope you guys like Ulna a little more. I liked doing this chapter of two girls from different sides of the same world coming together…and shopping! Please leave a review and have a happy Independence Day!


	16. Busted

Hi, everybody! Thanks for all your nice reviews! This chapter will be slightly dramatic and lots of fun, with a slight twist at the end…I think. Join me!

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_"Why, I'd dance with you 'til the cows come home. On second thought, I'd rather dance with the cows 'til you come home."--_Groucho Marx, _Duck Soup_

**Chapter 15: Busted**  
Around noon the next day, which was Saturday, Ame and Ulna were standing on the beach in swimsuits with flimsy wraps on their waists. The sun was shining, the breeze was blowing, and the sand was warm and white.

Suddenly, Ame felt a familiar presence within 10 feet of her; she turned quickly around to see blonde hair, a white dress, and pastel-blue sandals.

"Naminé?" she couldn't help saying. Naminé looked up from the small burst of light in her hand and her eyes flew.

_"Ame!"_ she cried out as she ran into Ame with a hug. (she's not really crying like boo-hoo, she's just shouting.)

"You're all right!" Naminé cried as she held Ame's shoulders, "Thank goodness we've found you! We've been looking everywhere for you! Oh my gosh, you look fantastic!"

She then turned and waved.

"Guys, over here!" she called, "I found her!"

Kairi and then Sora and Roxas came running over the dune.

"AME!" Kairi screamed as she bee-lined it to her friend, after which she promptly slapped her a good one across her face. All present looked wide-eyed with shock.

"Kairi!" said Naminé. Ame touched the smarting red mark on her left cheek, which was obscured by the shocked blush on the rest of her face. She blinked twice.

"You _hit_ me," she said, trying to process it. Kairi, also blushing, stood shaking with teeth and fists clenched and tears boiling in her eyes. She then broke down and threw her arms around Ame's neck.

"Don't you ever scare us like that again!" she wept, "I tried to call you 135 times—and yes, I counted—and your phone was off! We called your house and the swim team and the arcade, and no one knew where you were! We were out of our _minds_ with worry! None of the boys got any sleep last night, especially Riku!"

Ame winced. Kairi held her back a bit.

"He stayed in a guest room at your house in case you came back, and you know what he did?" she said, "He paced all night in _your house! __**Have you ever paced an entire mansion? He is dead on his feet wondering what happened to send you flying off like that! He looks like a zombie!"**_ She buried her forehead in Ame's shirt.

"You scared the crap out of him," she said and raised her head, "_all_ of us. I'm just so glad we found you."

As Naminé drew the sobbing Kairi to the side, Sora ran over and took his turn to ramble (and you guys are gonna LOVE this!).

"Ame!" said Sora after hugging her, "Are you okay? How do you feel? Is your pulse normal? Your head screwed on right? No fever? Are your glands normal? Did you wash your hands? Stick out your tongue! How many hair spikes do you see? Are you still regular?" Ame's face flared.

"LIKE I'D TELL YOU THAT!" she panicked, "I feel fine, Sora!" She then looked sarcastically at Roxas.

"I've been greeted with relief, anger, and worry," she said, "There's not much left."

Roxas walked up to her, smiled warmly, and embraced her lovingly.

"Good to see you again," he said.

"Okay," Ame beamed, "Kindness is good."

"You gave us quite a scare there, princess," Roxas smiled and released her, "It took Naminé an hour to pick out the magic trail left by your boat; your phone was trickier since it was off, but Naminé's pretty powerful."

Ame nodded with a pencil blush; the only person left now was…

Her eyes turned emotional when she saw him walking toward them; his hair and vest were blowing in the wind, but his eyes stayed hidden.

He stopped in front of Ame and she saw bags under his eyes and traces of tears inside them. Born down by guilt, her stomach plummeted to the floor.

"Riku…" she finally said softly, "I…"

He wrapped her up in his arms and kissed her long and full; her eyes popped for a second, then looked sad and guilt-ridden and she closed them to focus on her boyfriend as tears leaked down her face.

Riku finally broke the kiss and smiled at her.

"You're getting a tan," he said, "It looks good on you."

Ame looked surprised for a second and blushed; he forgave her! She smiled and hugged him again as he held her head in the back. He looked up with a smile.

"Nice to see you again, Ulna," he nodded, "You're looking well, too."

"Thank you, Riku," said Ulna, "Ame and I got to do some bonding yesterday; it was fun, really."

"FUN?" Kairi popped up and ran at Ame again, stiff as a board and several feet taller with fury, "YOU'VE BEEN RUNNING AROUND PALM ISLAND WHILE OUR HAIR'S BEEN FALLING OUT OVER YOU?"

Riku nipped her next rant in the bud by putting a finger to her lips as cool as you please.

"We should be glad she was having fun with someone she knows, rather than lying in a hospital or a ditch or kidnapped," he said calmly.

"At least with a hospital I'd get my money's worth!" Kairi responded, "My worry would've been well-spent!"

"I love you too, Kairi," Ame smiled, "and I got you something."

"_Oh,_ no," said Kairi with her arms folded stubbornly, "If _you_ think you're going to curb my anger with bribery, you are sadly…"

Ame held out a brand-new iphone; it was pink! (I don't own those and I don't have one; I wish I did) Ame knew Kairi couldn't resist _anything_ pink!

However…

"It's gonna take a lot more than a fancy phone to…"

"It has itunes."

Kairi raised an eyebrow, but stood firm.

"Need I remind you I called your phone a hundred—"

"And internet." Ame smiled slyly. She could feel Kairi's will against the phone breaking down.

"Don't trivialize my anger, Ame!" she said, "You can't toy with my feelings by just going off without telling anyone—"

"And Jigglypuff is your background."

Kairi's eyes got googly.

"Jigglypuff?" she repeated in a small voice. Ame nodded and tossed the phone in her hands. Kairi turned it on and squealed when she saw the dancing Jigglypuff (c'mon, who doesn't like Jigglypuff?).

"I guess I shouldn't mention the Mudkip screensaver," said Ame, which made Kairi hug her tightly.

"I'm so sorry I hit you, Ame!" she cried again, "I don't deserve you, _or_ this phone! Can you ever forgive me?"

"Of course, Kairi," Ame smiled and hugged her back, "Consider that phone the deal sealer."

"Um, hello," said Naminé to Ulna.

"Oh!" said Ame, "Guys, I'd like you to meet Ulna Kihoshi-Preston from Vagan's Isle. She's Raca's wife, the one Riku and I helped rescue. Ulna, this is Naminé, Sora, Kairi, and Roxas."

"Hi," they chorused.

"Charmed," Ulna smiled, "I'm honored to meet the Keyblade warriors! You must let me treat you to lunch; it's the least I can do after harboring your little fugitive."

"Sounds good to me!" piped Sora, "But first we'd better call Mr. Bevilaqua and tell him we found Ame."

"Mr. Bevilaqua?" Ame repeated, "He's here, too?"

"He brought us here in his fishing boat," Naminé said, "You wouldn't believe all the fishing trophies he has."

"How did he get involved in this?" Ame asked as they all walked away together.

"Well," said Roxas, "after Kairi went to your swim team asking where you were and no one knew, Mr. Bevilaqua gave us his number and told us to call if we needed help; once we found out, we called him and he brought us over."

"Where is he?" she asked.

"At the public harbor," Sora answered as he shut his phone, "He says bring everybody over to his boat; he'll have lunch ready for us."

So they all wandered over to the Assistant Swim Coach's boat and had lunch. Ame took advantage of the opportunity to talk to Mr. Bevilaqua.

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**Author's Review****:**  
One of you had a question as to Ulna's age, so I'll clarify: Ulna Preston is 16 years old, like Ame. She and Raca got permission to get married from her parents and his mother because they're rich and think they can do whatever they want. --'

Special fact about Ulna: Her name is actually one of the bones in our bodies, and in the first story, Raca mentions that she's a doctor's kid, so it's kinda funny, huh?

What's Mr. Bevilaqua playing at now, I wonder? You'll have to stay tuned to find out! What'd y'all think of Kairi hot-slapping Ame? Was that insane or WHAT? LOL! Okay, I'll stop rambling. See you guys later!

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	17. Our Shared Heritage

Okay, I realize some of you may be a little concerned and/or curious about our mysterious Assistant Swim Coach, who has already revealed himself as an earthbender, just like on Avatar! Well, you can lay your worries to rest as Ame interrogates her teacher! Ding-ding! Let the show begin!

And you Avatar buffs, sharpen your brains!

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_"I think we have a difference of opinion here."—_Yakko Warner, _Animaniacs_

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**Chapter 16: Our Shared Heritage**  
Ame could tell right away that Mr. Bevilaqua loved fishing.

She walked around his pontoon boat and saw all sorts of fishing poles, tackle boxes, fisherman's hats, vests, even a small TV with stacks of fishing shows on DVD.

"Are you sure your name's Mike Bevilaqua and not Bill Dance?" she asked jokingly. He chuckled.

"What can I say?" he said, "I've got hobbies!"

"Yes, I know," she said as she turned to face him, "I was wondering if you'd like to tell me about the one I saw at the Valentine's Dance."

Mr. Bevilaqua contemplated her and half-smiled.

"I figured you'd want to know about that," he said, "Come sit down and I'll explain everything." Ame sat down while her friends were chatting outside (she's under the canopy part).

"I guess you know about the re-establishment of the Water Tribe," he started. Ame blushed uncomfortably and looked sideways.

"Yeah," she mumbled, "I've heard about it."

"What's the matter?" he asked, "I thought you'd be excited."

"Oh, I am," she insisted, "Don't get me wrong! I'm very excited that my father's people are assembling in the Poles and all that, but…I've been getting letters from some of my girlfriends in the Tribe. They want me to go back and join them on the South Pole."

"You don't want to rejoin the Tribe?" he said.

"I want to be numbered among them," she answered, "but I have a happy life here with Granda and my friends."

_'And Riku,'_ she added silently.

"Well," he said, "we can talk about that later; you want to know about me." Ame nodded, grateful to turn the conversation.

"I am an Earthbender," he said formally, "I'm a direct descendent of Toph Bei Fong from the ancient days of the Four Nations. I've lived in these islands all my life, but I traveled a lot, too; I've traced my lineage back to Toph Bei Fong and I'm an agent for the Bei Li."

"The _Bei_ Li?" Ame asked, "Weren't they called the _Dai_ Li?"

"Back then, they were," he nodded, "but after the war was over and the heroes of the Avatar Scrolls grew up, Toph moved back to Ba Sing Se, where the Earth King appointed her Head of the Dai Li; with his permission, Toph renamed them the Bei Li—not only after her family's name, but as a symbol of change as far as their agenda goes. She changed them into local heroes, like policemen are supposed to be."

"That's amazing," Ame smiled, "You must be proud."

"I am," he nodded.

"Does Granda know about you?" she asked next.

"Actually," he answered, "I went to see her before she left for her business; she's hired me to look after you."

Ame's face popped.

"Look after me?" she repeated, "Like a bodyguard? I don't think I need one, Mr. Bevilaqua; my house has security and I'm a waterbending Master Belt! And I'm dating a Keyblade warrior; I'm loaded with protection!"

"I know," said the man, "I'm just more like a guardian angel than anything. You know your grandma." She nodded.

"So that's pretty much my story," he said, "I'm the only Earthbender in these islands, at least that I know of. Benders have to stick together, you know?" Ame nodded and smiled.

"You know, I can Earthbend, too," she said, "but it's not really bending, it's magic. Granda has all sorts of bending scrolls in our library, if you ever want to see them."

"That'd be wonderful," the man smiled, "I'm glad we could have this talk; just don't tell anyone at school, except maybe your friends here."

"Yes, Mr. Bevilaqua."

* * *

"I'm so happy to have met you all!" Ulna piped in Granda's harbor later, "One day, you must sail over to our villa for lunch! Ame, are you sure you don't want me to go with you? I could take the rap easy!"

"Nah, it's okay," Ame beamed, "Master Hana's had my head on more silver plates than Thanksgiving Dinner! I can handle her! Thanks, though!" She and Riku led their friends off Ulna's yacht (I guess Ame's yacht was sent on ahead).

"Say hi to Raca for me, okay?" Ame waved.

"Sure!" smiled Ulna, "And you take care of that big, strong Keyblade man of yours! Make him get some sleep!"

Ame laughed and leaned on Riku with her arms around him.

"I'd better go, too," said Mr. Bevilaqua, "I saw some sea bass on the way over, so I think I'll go catch some for dinner tonight! See you Monday, Katara!"

Ame's cheeks sizzled; Mr. Bevilaqua had a nickname for each of the girls on the swim team, and hers was "Katara," after her famous ancestor. Saila's was "Bubble Gum" by virtue of her bubbly personality and her bright pink hair, Lini's was "Captain" because she was the team captain, etc.

The Keyblade group stood on Ame's nice brick front porch with its many wide, slightly curved stone steps.

"Good luck with Master Hana," said Sora, "Don't get yourself locked up again, you hear me? I don't want to have to hop back on the Light Cycle and save your tush again!"

Ame giggled; the door opened and Ichi-san was there.

_"Ame-sama!"_ he shouted.

"Heh-heh!" she grinned nervously, "Konichiwa!" The old butler embraced his young mistress and spun around with her, rejoicing in Japanese while some of the other servants gathered on the porch. Ame looked over Ichi-san's shoulder and her face turned blue with dread.

"Obaachan!" she squeaked (did I spell that right?). Granda was standing in the doorway with a small smile with Ansem behind her. Ichi-san gently put Ame back down.

"W-where's Master Hana?" she asked weakly.

"In town," Granda answered quietly, "The question is where were _you?_"

"Um…" Ame gulped. Granda sighed.

"Come along, chibi-koi," she said in a disappointed voice. Ame looked ashamed and blushed so; she gave her friends a small wave. Riku stepped forward, took her face in his hands, and kissed her before Ichi-san herded them away to the waiting limo in the circular driveway.

"Sobo," she said as she trotted up next to her, "I'm really sorry I wasn't here when you got home! I shouldn't have—"

"That's not what I want to talk to you about, little one," Granda interrupted, "We have a guest in the parlor for you to see."

"Oh?" Ame was curious as Granda led her to their big fancy parlor, where sitting at a coffee table was Talni!

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**Author's Review****:**  
Boy, talk about a twisty! Talni again! What will happen now?

Okay, for those of you who don't know and/or don't live in the South, Bill Dance is a famous fisherman who has or had a fishing show on TV; I don't remember what it's called. And if you don't know what a pontoon boat is, look it up!

So you see? He's harmless! He's just a special agent/babysitter Granda hired to protect Ame! Even though she doesn't really need it, but it's cool how Katara and Toph's descendants crossed paths like this, isn't it?

Another piece of information on Mr. Bevilaqua that isn't in the story: He's married and has no children. He and his wife live in a quiet sheltered spot by a lake and he loves his work. Sorry if you were expecting some kind of sinister, shady character, but hey: THEY CAN'T ALL BE BAD GUYS, OKAY? (ahem)

Thank you. Please leave reviews!


	18. Granda Tells All

This chapter will reveal Talni's past and identity; hopefully, some of your questions will be answered, even though it kind of takes a detour from the main plot. I hope you like it!

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_"Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime. Say the word and I will follow you."—_Christine Daae, _Phantom of the Opera_

**Chapter 17: Granda Tells All**  
Ame's eyes were little white circles and her mouth was a thin, straight line. Granda stood behind her in a lavender and purple kimono with hyacinths and cockle shells stitched on it and a loose sash draping down her shoulders; she had her hands tucked in the sleeves as calm and cool as you please, as if she hadn't a clue who the purple-haired woman sitting in her parlor was.

Ame was additionally surprised at how Talni was dressed; her hair was up in one of those big-toothed hair clips and she was wearing a form-fitting lady's professional outfit of the cream-colored persuasion, a huge change from the white spaghetti-strap tank top and black leather pants. The young girl wouldn't have known her for the same person.

"Come sit down, Ame," Granda motioned, "I presume you've met Talni?"

"Yeah," she answered, lost in bewilderment as she sat on the sofa beside her Nobody, "I have. Hi, Talni."

"Hey, kid!" the woman chirped, "Have a good time on Palm Island?"

"How did you know I was there?" asked a shocked, red-faced Ame.

"Because that's part of our bond," Talni said as she tapped the side of her head, "I always know where you are, and you always know where I am. All you have to do is reach out with your mind."

_'Great,'_ thought Ame, _'Now I'll never feel private ever again.'_

"Don't worry, kid," smiled Talni, "Just because I can always find you doesn't mean I'll be chasing you everywhere."

"Then would you mind applying the same to mind-reading?" Ame responded a bit irritably, "I don't like telepathy unless it's for emergencies."

"Agreed," Talni nodded, "I apologize." Ame nodded.

"I know you must be wondering why I've invited Talni over," Granda said as Ichi-san poured tea and lemonade, "I've been wanting to have this meeting for some time, but I thought it best to wait until Talni got her feet off the ground. Now that she appears to be doing well for herself, I feel like now is the perfect time for the three of us to talk together."

"Grandma," Ame quietly interrupted with her head bowed, her bangs over her eyes, and her fists clenched in her lap, "please answer me this first…" She looked up with slight tears in her wavering eyes and her cheeks were pink.

"When did I turn into a Heartless?" she asked, nearly choking on that last word, "And why?" Talni looked sadly away from her.

Granda bowed her head for a moment with her eyes closed.

"I knew this would be difficult for you to hear, my small one," she murmured, then straightened up and spoke clearly. Ame and Talni looked at her, rapt with attention.

"Your stories, my girls," she said, "are one and the same, as closely intertwined as the chains of memory. Like all Nobody stories, it begins with you, Ame…

"Last summer, when you were fifteen, I journeyed to the South Pole to spend Summer Break with you, which you remember. What you do not remember is what happened about six weeks into that summer."

A wave of her hand brought the tea swirling around in a shallow bowl on the coffee table; a further twist made it turn to water and Ame and Talni leaned in, entranced as the story appeared with the old woman's narrative.

"Because of the initial outbreak of Heartless, many worlds were destroyed and many stars fell. Our home on the South Pole was no different. A wave of Heartless laid siege to the Southern Water Tribe village and claimed many hearts. The waterbenders fought bravely, including you, Ame…but, as you may have guessed, the Heartless overtook you and raped you of your heart."

Ame was overcome with emotion; how, with all those years of training, had she failed to save herself, her friends, and her tribe from The Heartless?

"Where were you during this, Granda?" Talni asked for her.

"While the warriors and waterbenders fought," Granda answered, "I joined the authorities in getting people underground, mainly the women and children and elders. By the time I came back to help Ame, she and the rest of The Heartless were gone."

Ame wrenched her eyes open, trembling with the effort of keeping herself under control as she saw her Heartless—a Neo-shadow, one of the Heartless with long limbs and longer antennae (though Granda hadn't known until after she found her).

"No!" she whispered, "It can't be true! How could I turn into that? The Heartless are the bad guys! I'm one of the heroes! I've trained for it all my life!" Tears fell in her lap.

"How could I become," her voice shook, "one of _them?"_

"That is the risk you take, my dear," Granda said gently, "when you choose the path of the warrior. You risk your life, your body, your heart, everything."

"I know!" Ame wept, "But to turn into something with no mind, no feeling, only the instinct to hurt and eat innocent hearts? How _could_ I?"

"It was _not_ your fault, chibi," her grandmother said seriously, "Things like this just happen. Not even the Keyblade Master escaped becoming a Heartless."

"He _let_ himself become a Heartless!" Ame said, slightly angry, "He lost his heart on purpose to save Kairi!"

"Nevertheless," said Granda, "he had no more choice in the matter than you did. You each did what you knew you had to do." This made Ame stop and think.

"Now, then…" Granda waved her hand over the bowl; the water swirled and the pictures changed.

"After you were 'captured' by The Heartless," she continued, "I immediately searched far and wide for you. It was difficult, even for an omnipotent spirit like myself, to pick you out from the massive forces of The Heartless, and I greatly feared for your safety, should you happen to meet the Keybearer. I used every power and resource at my disposal to find you.

"Meanwhile, Talni, you appeared here, on a beach near the hamlet of Twilight Town. Like other Nobodies, you were blank and dumb, as unstained as a newborn baby."

Ame saw Talni in the water-picture; she was standing on a beach at sunset with her head bowed and her eyes staring down like a zombie under hypnosis. She was different, though; she looked exactly the same age as Ame! Her hair was still purple, but it was longer and thicker; her eyes were still a glittering dark green, but they were fuller and rounder.

"For ten days, Talni," Granda said, "you stood that same way on that beach, unmoving and unfeeling. No one ever found you and for some reason, every day you aged another year. It was on the tenth day that I finally found Ame and restored her to her body, but her mind and memories needed to be restored as well."

"So, those Memory Pods I found downstairs were what you used to restore my memories?" Ame guessed.

"Yes, Ame," Granda nodded, "This very house is where you were restored to your normal self.

"The same day that happened is when Talni was found—not by me, but by Nik and Mizuko Yoake, Ame's father and mother."

Ame and Talni both snapped upright.

"My _parents?"_ Ame nearly squeaked, "What did _they_ have to do with all this?"

"I sent them to find your Nobody before someone else did," said Granda, "I needed to find her in order to completely restore you. But you weren't ready for her to complete you yet; I had to run you through the same process that Sora went through. Plus, I didn't want that **filthy** Organization to taint her in her innocent state."

Ame looked at the water and saw herself, now in a flowing pink nightgown with long sleeves and her hair down, floating in a Memory Pod with her eyes softly closed in a dreamless sleep.

"So they found me on the beach…?" Talni picked up.

"Yes." Granda swept her hand over the bowl and the scene changed to Talni, still blank as a check, but now at her current age, her clothes nearly falling off from growth and bursting at the seams. Two angels appeared before her—a man in martial arts clothes and a woman with watery blue hair in a long, sky blue dress. The man explained to Talni who she was, her purpose as a Nobody, who and where she came from, and her ultimate task. Mizuko then told her about the powers she possessed and that she should use them honorably, and that Granda would come for her after she's roamed this world for a while. She then waved her hands gracefully and a beautiful necklace appeared; it was the same kind Ame and all the ladies in the main house wore—a coral blue oval with a gold outline and the family named etched in dark green Japanese letters.

Mizuko strung the delicate gold chain around Talni's neck; then Nik stood in front of the Nobody with a serious face and his right hand out with his fingers spread apart. Tlani's head was still bowed, her eyes still blank and lifeless. Mizuko looked sideways at her companion; his face looked sympathetic.

"This gift," he said to Talni, "is greater even than the symbol you wear. It will be your most precious possession, so protect it with all you have."

The Talni in real life watched the scene with humility and soft awe; she didn't remember these moments with Nik and Mizuko, the way a baby doesn't witness its own delivery. She remained silent, her eyes glued to the story in the water.

A small globe of white light radiated brightly in front of Nik's hand and five letters appeared from nowhere in a very regal-looking font, floating like ghosts between Nik's hand and Talni's head. They arranged themselves with a dance-like circular motion until the "L" was in the middle, with the "T" and "A" on the left and "N" and "I" on the right…

TALNI.

"This is your name," Nik said in a clear voice, "This is you." The letters circled swiftly around Tlani's head like a swarm of bees until they closed in on her and disappeared into her, leaving white sparkles behind her to fall softly to the ground like snow. Smiling with the warmth of a father, Nik laid his hand on her head and leaned toward her with his lips close to her hair.

"Now wake up," he murmured softly, "and learn all you can. Remember, Granda will come for you when the time comes. We give you our promise as her children and your parents."

He disappeared unnoticeably in a beam of shining sunlight; Mizuko had been engulfed in that light and joined him. Talni's blank eyes widened as she gasped her first short, startled breath of life and she quickly looked up to see the sun setting over the ocean. Her emerald eyes sparkled at the wonder of it and she took her first unsteady steps toward it. The sparkling waves gently washed over her feet, as if beckoning her to play in its shimmering shallows. She smiled like a little girl, but remembered she had a mission. She noticed something else, too, as she looked down at herself…

She needed new clothes.

Holding the shreds of her outfit to herself, Talni self-consciously looked around for something bigger. She heard feminine laughter and ducked behind some rocks; like a shy child eavesdropping on grown-ups, she peeked over one of them and saw a young woman her age splashing in the water, her clothes folded neatly on a beach blanket.

Talni looked at the girl in the ocean; shining droplets shook from her blonde hair with sparkling ripples around her waist; she was wearing a very provocative-looking bikini, but Talni didn't care, as long as she was covered.

Taking a small nervous gulp, Talni crept out of her hiding place and scampered over to her spot. Keeping her eyes glued to the woman, she quickly scooped up her clothes and the blanket and bee-lined it back to the rocks, squatting in a small overhang for shelter. After waiting a while, she climbed into a small sandy clearing inside the rocks and laid out her stolen treasures on a flat boulder; they were a white tank top with spaghetti straps and a pair of supple, black leather pants, the outfit Ame had met her in.

The next step was to get out of the too-small clothes that were coming apart with every movement. Talni soon found it impossible to pull them off, so she studied herself for a little while. She stood still, staring at her clothes thoughtfully as she remembered that she had special powers (though she didn't remember anyone telling her). She stared at her dress and inwardly summoned her first burst of power. Her eyes flashed briefly and the clothes blew off with a poof as if they'd torn themselves from her and fell in shreds to the ground.

She was impressed with herself at how well she controlled her powers, especially for the first time. She then quickly slipped into her new outfit and flexed her legs to get the feel of the pants. She felt a tiny lump in the right pocket and pulled out a beautiful pair of pendulum-shaped emerald jewels colored a glittering dark green, like her eyes. Each was held by a small gold hoop, and they were deep and gorgeous.

Talni was entranced by them and couldn't resist putting them on her ears; she then found a black pair of cheap flipflops and slipped them on, too. She picked up the big blanket and shook it out; it was pretty big and would make a perfect coat, something to aid her secret journey back to Granda (though she didn't know why it was secret; it just seemed natural). So she summoned up more magic and transformed it into a comfortable hooded coat with gloves attached to the sleeves; it was a dark purple, burgundy.

Talni climbed back up the rocks, coat in hand, and peeked over at the young lady whose things she now wore herself; she was walking out of the water, her skin beautifully warmed by the sun and her shining hair plastered to her back. Anyone would think she was really a mermaid.

Talni heard her give an outcry of surprise and saw her run to where she'd left her stuff and then looked frantically around. Talni decided to reimburse her. She picked up a soft, pastel blue shred of cloth from her Water Tribe clothes and held it in her hand as she concentrated on the girl. She decided she would thank her the best way she knew.

She smiled.

_'Thank you,'_ she thought as she blew on the cloth, which flew away on the wind toward the woman; she was holding her arms and getting a little cold. When the cloth piece touched her arm, it was no longer a small scrap but a billowing soft blanket.

The woman gasped and pulled it off to look at it; when she did, she was surprised to find she was wearing a flimsy blue beach dress that tickled her legs over the knees and white flipflops on her feet! A light sparkled on the edge of her vision and she found a genuine pearl ring on her right hand! As if that wasn't enough, there was a blue lily in her hair and pearls on her ears!

Talni smiled warmly as she watched the girl make sounds of delight and wonder. She looked beautiful.

_'We'll be friends someday, you and I,'_ she promised, mostly to herself, _'I won't apologize for taking your things, though; they're needed. Besides…'_ She slipped on the coat and took one last fond look at her, who now had the blanket around herself and was walking to her car.

_'…you look so beautiful in blue and pearls,'_ she finished her thought as she pulled up the hood and climbed down from the rocks.

The woman wrapped in blue drove home with the last rays of the sun shining on the road; the woman draped in purple strode away in the other direction to make her acquaintance with the shadows.

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**Author's Review****:**  
Cool, huh? I got the style of her 'birth' from the manga version of KH2, the part where Roxas was given his name and black coat and joined Org. 13 and all that.

Did you like it? I can't imagine the torment Ame must be feeling right now…wait, I'm her creator—of _course_ I can! Wah, poor baby! We're going to know EXACTLY how she feels in the next chapter! Stay tuned for the explosion! ;)

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	19. Ame Freaks OutAgain

**_SUPER-IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE: IGNORE THE CHAPTER I PUT ON BEFORE THIS ONE. THEY WERE OUT OF ORDER. THIS ONE WAS FIRST, SO PLEASE DISREGARD PREVIOUS UPLOAD. THANK YOU._**

Ladies and gentlemen, put on your crash helmets and HOLD ON! This is the explosive chapter I promised you guys! We now know that Ame has been turned into a Heartless, and why Talni is 10 years older than her; now, how will Ame handle it?

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_"If you think the last four words to the National Anthem are 'Gentlemen, start your engines,' you might be a redneck."—_Jeff Foxworthy, _You Might Be A Redneck If…_

* * *

**Chapter 18: Ame Freaks Out…Again**  
The present Talni watched as the scene ended in a wave of fading sunlight and didn't speak until all could see again the bottom of the china bowl through the clear water.

"I always kept to the shadows," she murmured somewhat nostalgically, "but I also stayed as close to the ocean as I possibly could. The sound of the waves was such a comfort—"

_SMACK!_ She didn't get to finish that sentence because something had slapped her right cheek hard; that, she was shocked to find, was Ame's left hand.

_"Ame!"_ came Granda's shocked exclamation. Talni held her cheek and stared at Ame with confused eyes; Ame herself was bent over with her hair curtaining her face and her arm still slanted; her hand was trembling, her aura was boiling, and her face was an enraged shade of red.

"Of _course_ you kept to the shadows," she said lowly, her voice shaking with rage, "That's what you are…a shadow…of _**me!"**_

She clenched a fist and stood up straight.

"And let's get one thing straight!" she shouted, "_Mom_ and _Dad_ are NOT—YOUR—PARENTS!"

With each last word, the water in the bowl had turned to ice and cracked; the last word caused the bowl to break into four pieces like pizza slices and the ice inside shattered.

_"Don't think for one second that they're your parents, 'cause they're NOT! They're MINE!"_ she continued, "I'M the one Mom carried in her body for nine months! I'M the one who put her through four hours of labor! I'M the one who cried at all hours of the night and woke them up because I needed to be fed or changed or held!"

"Ame," Granda tried to say, but Ame was on a roll, and the tears came in full swing.

"I was the one they sang to when I was scared and couldn't sleep!" she cried angrily, "I held their future in my eyes! I was their daughter, their baby, their child, their flesh and blood! I was the one they loved!"

She shut her eyes for a second and bowed her head; her shoulders shook as she sobbed.

"I was the one they died for," she wept, her voice broken. Talni looked away sadly. Granda said nothing.

"They're not your parents, Talni," Ame whipped her head back up, "They're mine. Don't think that just because you were born from me that you share them, because you don't."

"Ame…" Talni started.

"And don't think you can just waltz into my life _just_ because you're my Nobody! And I sure as HECK am NOT calling you 'onee-san,' so you can just forget it!"

"Is it Talni you are angry with, Ame?" Granda finally asked, "Because you have no reason to be. None of this was her fault."

"Well it sure as heck isn't mine, either!" Ame's blush was now embarrassed; she knew she was yelling at her grandma, but she was so ticked, she didn't care. _"I get turned into a Heartless and lose two months of my life under restoration, and now __**she**__ gets to live life ahead of me? There's something wrong with that, Grandma!"_

"Why?" she calmly asked.

"_Why?"_ Ame sputtered, "_WHY?_ I was _born_ first!"

"Ame, I'm not living your life," Talni spoke up, "I'm living my own. I have my own job, my own house, my own mind and heart, I told you all that. I may be your Nobody, Ame…"

She made eye contact with her.

"…but I'm not you," she said firmly, "We may be the same person physically, emotionally, maybe even mentally, but we are two different hearts now. We can share dreams and memories, communicate telepathically, do all the things Nobodies and True Selves can do…but our lives are different."

Ame's face was miserable, grubby, and wet; she was still crying.

"No, Talni," she said glumly, "As long as you're me…our lives will never be that different."

She ran out of the parlor forging a trail of tears; the other two women remained where they were. Finally, Talni sighed.

"I'm sorry, obaasan," she apologized, "I shouldn't have come here. She just seemed so happy when we met, I thought…"

"Ame has been very troubled of late, Talni," Granda said as she magically fixed the bowl and returned the water to the teapot, "These past few weeks have been somewhat dramatic as far as her school life goes."

"Yeah, she told me," Talni nodded, "I guess my timing should've been better. I've only added to her troubles."

"You've done no such thing, dear," Granda said firmly, "For one thing, she's very protective of her parents' memory, understandably so. To think she should have to 'share' them is a slap in the face to her, being their only child.

"For another, I've been watching her eyes. She's angry, but deep down, she cares deeply for you, just as Sora and Kairi care for Roxas and Naminé. The only thing that clouds it now in her anger is her frustration with herself."

"How?" asked the Nobody. Granda paused.

"Because right now," she said, "all she can think of is her fall to The Heartless. In her highly emotional state, she sees you as a reminder of her so-called failure. You can only imagine the turmoil she feels every time she thinks about it."

"I can feel it coming off her in waves," Talni agreed, "So you're saying I souldn't let it get to me. Then I won't."

"Just give Ame time to think, dear," Granda said as they stood, "She will come to you in her own time." Talni smiled and bowed respectfully to her.

"By your word I have been given a heart, a body, and a life of my own," she said humbly, "So I shall wait for it to be fulfilled again. In the meantime…" She straightened back up.

"…I have another young friend to reconnect with."

* * *

Ame ran into the maze of the rose garden, where she could think; the rose bushes of the maze were like tunnels that let the sunlight dapple the stone floor with gaps every 20 feet or so. The tunnel Ame was in was full of red roses.

She continued to cry as she hurried down the tunnel; she knew she'd stepped out of line by not only raising her voice to her elder, but actually slapping a guest dead in the face.

She slowed to a walk as she started to wipe off her face, even though she couldn't stop sobbing; most of it was left over from her justified wrath, but now her tears of anger and sorrow had the background of a pink blush. She felt ashamed for going so far with her temper.

_'It's not like she tried to take Mom and Dad away from me,'_ she told herself, _'They're still my parents and always will be. No one can change that.'_

She reached the heart of the maze, where the muffled silence was broken only by the gurgling of the beautiful fountain in the center that reached above the tops of the hedges. White wicker benches surrounded it and more were along the hedges between entrances to other rose tunnels. Each tunnel had roses of a different color: blue, pink, yellow, orange, purple, red, some were even black! Every color and breed of rose could be found in Granda Megami's Rose Maze Garden.

Ame went to the fountain, wearily fell to her knees, and slung herself over the wide marble edge; her face wavered underneath her and reflected her sadness. Ame dipped her hands in its comforting coolness, bedazzled with shimmering sunlight that made it look like silver and gold combined, like her parents. She splashed some on her face and held her hands there, letting the drops drip down her forearms. She then lifted her face and hung her head back with her eyes closed peacefully as she felt the sun warm the water running down her face and neck; she could almost believe it was her parents reassuring them of their eternal love for her and it made her feel better.

She sat down on one of the wicker benches and picked a red rose, only just noticing the overwhelming fragrance of the thousands of roses around and above her. It was so peaceful there, she leaned back and closed her eyes to let the sound of the water weave into her nerves and smooth them down.

Of course in a story, it's almost _always_ moments like this in which something happens that catches the hero off-guard.

Unfortunately for Ame, this was one of those moments.

So calming was the mingling of the water cascading into the fountain and so intoxicating the smell of the delicate flowers that what happened next quite frankly scared the crap out of her.

"Well hello there, Little Lotte," said a suave male voice above her. She turned her face straight up with wide eyes and saw, reclining comfortably on top of the hedge right above her head with an amused smile on his tanned face, a man she knew from her friends' stories and her dream-memories of Talni.

Ame felt her brain snap in half; it was _**Axel!**_

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**Author's Review****:**  
HOLY CRAP, IT'S AXEL! What's he doing in the rose garden, watching Ame? I hope you enjoyed the fireworks! You can take off your crash helmets now.

I hope you guys don't get too mad at Ame for her behavior; I know she was kinda happy the first time she met Talni, but with everything that's been happening lately, Granda's story was just the last straw. I hope you all understand and I hope you'll stay tuned for the next chapter! ;)


	20. Ame Gets Another Nickname

Okay, the first time I typed this it accidentally didn't get saved. So I'm typing it up all over again (blast!).

Axel's in the house! How is Ame gonna handle _this?_

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_"I am Death; and I hereby declare you to be 'living impaired.' Hence, you must come with me to a dark kingdom of no return."—_Death, _Animaniacs_

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**Chapter 19: Ame Gets Another Nickname**  
For a little while, Ame just stared, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, (and her entire face a bright red) at the now-living "legend" reclining on her grandmother's rose hedges; Organization 13's number 8…Axel…the Flurry of Dancing Flames…Roxas' friend and surrogate guardian…alive, whole, and smiling that smile that you mostly see from male manga characters, that cross between fondness and amusement. He was wearing a tight black shirt that sloped under his collarbone on the neckline, like his black coat once had. His pants were black and baggy and had a chain inside one of the pockets and on one of the belt loops; the links were shaped like the Kingdom Hearts Crown. Around his neck was a silver chain with the Nobody pendant lying on the very center of his chest.

_"You're alive!"_ Ame whispered as her eyes wavered with wonder. Axel chuckled and shook his head.

"I'd hoped the first thing you ever said to me would be something less obvious," he said lazily, "Ah, well. Hmm…I guess I should get off Gran's rosies, huh?"

Keeping the same expression of mild shock, Ame watched as the fire-head launched himself off the hedge with one hand and flipped a few times before landing on his feet right in front of her, which made her blush flare down and spread fringes on her neck like the ends on a scarf. Her heart leapt into her throat at how close Axel was to her and she could feel her pulse pumping in every pressure point she had.

"Oh, you won't rat me out about my bed of roses, will ya?" he said mischievously with a finger near his lips, "Tina's pretty meticulous about them; don't want her comin' at me with a hatchet now, do we?"

He knew Tina the Head Gardener, too? How long had he _been_ here? But all Ame could get out was another soft and awed "You're alive!"

Axel got a curious look on his face and snapped his fingers in her face; it was the first time she'd blinked since she'd seen him. Once _that_ happened, the full gravity of the situation settled on her and questions began to buzz in her head, her previous anger all but forgotten.

"Axel!" she exclaimed, her blush reduced to a brush stroke across her nose and cheeks as she jumped up excitedly, "You're really here! I can't believe it!"

"I take it your friends have told you about me?" Axel smiled.

"Yeah…" Then she remembered.

"Roxas!" she exclaimed, "Why haven't you gone to see him yet?"

"Eh, just how the scheduling goes," he shrugged, "Who _else_ do you know about me from?"

Ame didn't understand what he meant for a second; then she remembered the dreams.

The first dream about Axel we mentioned previously wasn't the only dream she'd had about them, but the first of a dream-saga chronicling the story…_their_ story.

"Talni," she breathed, "Before I met Talni, I had dreams of her memories! I wrote them all down! They all had _you_ in them!" That made her face, neck, _and_ shoulders turn bright red as she remembered certain specifics.

"You and she…fell in love," she managed to say, "The two of you are…lovers!"

"Ding, ding!" beamed the redhead, "Tell her what she's won, Johnny!"

"Don't laugh, Axel!" she panicked, "I saw you fall in love, but I also saw what you did about it!"

Axel stopped for a second and blushed.

"Oops." He scratched behind his head self-consciously. "Guess Talni's memories showed you a little more than you were meant to see, huh?"

Her indignity returned.

"_I'll_ say they have!" she shouted as she jumped to her feet, "I can't believe you, Axel! I spent two months of my 15-year-old days lying in a Memory Pod, and YOU WERE SHACKING UP WITH MY NOBODY?"

Axel just stood still and watched her quietly as Ame's thoughts fumed inside her: So it _wasn't _just the way she dressed. Talni had gone off and made choices that were the complete opposite of how Ame had been brought up. And since Talni was her Nobody, what did that say about Ame herself? Never once had she even wanted to disobey her grandmother or Master Hana; she loved them too much for one thing and her life was too different from other teens' to be rebellious for another. She had no _time_ for it.

That wasn't the only thing that was thoroughly ticking her off, though; as much as she'd wanted to meet Axel before, she wanted him to step away from her. The way he was making her feel frightened her; this was something she didn't even feel toward _Riku_, and that _really_ scared her. This intense pounding in her pulse that came from Talni's adult-level memories made the young girl as physically uncomfortable as any girl could feel.

And Axel knew it.

He could tell by her eyes the inner turmoil in her body and he looked serious, almost apologetic.

He took her chin between his thumb and fingers to get a better look. His touch made her wince, but she didn't move away. Her heart pounded harder, but she was relieved at least to find that she didn't respond to it the way she did when Riku touched her.

"Dang," he said seriously, "I guess she left an emotional residue on you. You're attracted to me…physically, at least."

"Don't touch me," she exhaled and pushed his arm away, then turned her back on him. She felt like she had a fever and had trouble controlling her breathing.

"I'm very sorry about this, Miss Blue," he said.

"What do you know?" she snapped.

"I at least know this," he answered, "That's how Talni used to look at me before we started dating. She knew how she felt about me and it frustrated her."

Ame slid her hands down from her face thoughtfully.

"I remember that," she murmured without turning around, "I could hear her thoughts in my dreams and feel her feelings. She didn't want to love you at first, Axel. She had a mission."

Ame let her hands hang at her sides.

"She didn't want to get close to anyone," she said sadly, "She knew if she let herself love you…she wouldn't want to leave. She didn't want that to happen."

"Because she cared about you," Axel picked up, "She knew you were waiting for her to restore you." Ame turned her head back and looked sympathetically at the tall, handsome Nobody, who had his hands in his pockets and was digging his toe into the ground. He had a somewhat sad expression on his face, almost guilty.

"But she fell in love with you anyway," Ame turned and said, "She wanted her own memories to bring back to the real world. Even if she disappeared herself, they'd still be in _my_ heart. I'd still remember, even if I didn't know why.

"She also wanted some type of happiness to have while she lived in the dark and waited for Grandma to come for her. It always happens in love stories: The wandering heroine, in her search for answers, chooses love over all."

"But even then, she didn't choose me over you," Axel said, "Your Gran made her a promise to make her whole after a while. Once she found out about us, she miraculously decided to include me in that deal. That made it easier for her to leave…and for me to let her go."

"It was no miracle, Axel," Ame said as they sat back down on the bench, "Of all people, Granda understands true love and the pain of separation. I think that's why she's the love spirit."

"Did you dream about the night Gran came and took Talni away?" he asked.

"Yeah, I did," she nodded and fiddled with her skirt, "It ended with Talni saying _'ai suru itsumo'_ (blush!) in a blinding white fade-out. I woke up with my face wet and my eyes all watery. It's the first time I've ever cried in my sleep.

"It was also the last dream I ever had about you and Talni."

A silence followed; Ame stared at the sunlight dappling the tunnel floors and pooling the floor in the clearing and around the fountain. She expected to feel like she knew everything about Axel and Talni now that all this had come out, but it seemed there were three new questions for every one that got answered.

"How would you like to see what happened after that?" Axel finally asked quietly. She looked at him.

"You mean _your_ part of the story?" she said, "How you became whole and all that?" He nodded.

"She's your Nobody, Little Blue," he said as he put his hand across her forehead, "I think you deserve to know everything."

They made intense eye contact; she saw images swirling in his electric green eyes like clothes in a washing machine. Emotions from memories of long ago and far away swept into her like waves. A white light from his hand glowed on the edge of her vision and got bigger until she could no longer see him; she reached her hand up and felt his other hand hold it firmly.

"It's okay, Blue." She could hear the smile in his voice. "I won't let you go anywhere."

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**Author's Review****:**  
No time for a review today; just please leave a comment and let me know how you like it! Ciao!


	21. Memory Lane 20

Ugh! The heat where I live is UNBEARABLE right now! Wonderful news, my readers: I FINALLY GOT A REAL JOB! It's in the Medical field! I'm going to be a transcriptionist, which means I'll be typing up all those confusing doctor words that nobody understands! What fun that will be! mew

okay, this chapter starts out in Axel's perspective; as you'll remember from the last chapter, he is showing Ame _his_ memories of what happened after Talni left the dark realm with Granda. I hope you like this!

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_"When I look at you, I see everything we could be."—_Phil Collins, _Touch My Heart_ (I thought this song fit the almost father-son relationship between Axel and Roxas)

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**Chapter 20: Memory Lane 2.0**  
_I thought seeing Sora…and Roxas inside him…would be the last thing I ever saw. I thought once the darkness enveloped me and I dissolved into nothing, that was it._(which is super-comfy, btw).

_But I didn't._

_Instead, I slowly creep back to consciousness; my mind (if I have one) is blank, a clean slate, but in the back is the color blue…the color of his eyes. Those laughing eyes that I left behind with Sora._

_My next awareness is a feeling of floating; it's a wonder and a miracle I can feel anything at all. My body's floating like I'm underwater or something; my head is bowed and my eyes are closed. I feel warm and drowsy, like someone who takes a nap under a fleece blanket with a full stomach_

_Then my body shifts and I'm lying on something soft but firm; gravity catches up with my weight and all my limbs lie still; I can't tell if I'm clothed or not. It doesn't enter my mind to worry._

_Then I feel a spark in the middle of my chest; it grows and expands with each pump it gives. My mind reels with disbelief; I think to myself, 'It couldn't be.'_

_But it could._

_And it is._

_My first breath of life is sweet and long, and I make it last as long as I can; after that, things around me become clearer by the minute._

_I slowly open my eyes, feeling that they look blank and lifeless. With considerable effort, I turn my head to the left._

_Then I see her._

_She's standing over me in a bright light with a gentle smile and a sparkle in those immortal, beautiful eyes. A thrill of hope passes through my new heart as I recognize her and I feel a sting in my eyes as tears form for the very first time._

_I press my hand against the thick curved glass as I smile up at the woman who became my savior. The Memory Pod opens around me and I lower my hand; the soft air is comfortably warm on my skin. It also makes me realize I'm naked, but the bottom half of the pod covers me._

_"Gran," my voice croaks my first word as I reach for her. She smiles gently and takes my hand._

_"Good morning, Axel," she says, "Welcome to the real world."_

_"It's good to see you, Gran," I smile brightly, my voice getting clearer as the reality of my existence settles. All of a sudden, my voice fails me and I'm crying and holding her hand to my face, overwhelmed with gratitude. All the while, the old lady's standing by my side, smiling and softly stroking my head like she's my mother._

_That's almost what she is to me—a mother. This woman gave me life; how could I possibly thank her?_

_Now I'm sitting up with the skirt of her yellow kimono in my hands and on my face; I never cried in the realm of darkness, not since Talni left. Even then, it wasn't as intense as this._

_"Thank you," I manage to croak through the tears, "Thank you…"_

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The full silvery moon shown down through the pine trees and illuminated the mountain road, turning it blue as the black car slipped through the soft color under a velvety dark sky of purple and black, dusted over with glittering stars.

Axel was in a black muscle shirt with the Nobody emblem on a silver chain around his neck and black baggy pants; he sat in the back seat with Granda Megami, who now wore a soft-blue kimono with dark green embroidery.

It had been six weeks since Axel's awakening; Granda had kept him at the main house to monitor his body and things like that, and he'd already made a reputation for himself, mostly with the kitchen staff. He was like Granda's secret child, especially since he'd been kept secret from Ame until the time was right. He'd been coated with special magic that made him invisible to her and her powers. She went blissfully unaware of any secret guests in the Megami mansion.

Roxas was a little tougher, though; if Axel was away from the mansion, he had to be careful not to let Roxas see or sense him. His body was too delicate to reunite with real life yet, and he needed to be completely recovered in order to deal with people, especially Roxas and Talni, the ones he cared for most.

It was quiet in the back seat except for the soft piano music on the radio; Granda was gathering the necessary words in her mind to prepare Axel for tonight's reunion. Now that he was completely whole, he was ready to live, starting with the one who consumed his soul in dreams.

"There's something you should know about Talni," Granda finally spoke. Axel turned to listen to her. When she looked at him, her eyes shimmered a sea green color as if her eyes were the sea itself, an eternity of wisdom swimming in their depths.

"She has suffered without you," she said sadly. Axel looked shocked at her.

"Don't worry, she's not hurt," she smiled kindly, "No…I suppose what I mean to say is that she has missed you terribly.

"Every night she stands in the ocean under the moon, as if awaiting your return. Every night she returns to her home alone and cries herself to sleep. But by day she is cheerful, happy, and selfless. She works as an equestrian instructor at one of my stables and lives in a beach house on the South Shore."

"Has she made any friends?" he asked with concern.

"A few," she answered as she smoothed down her skirt, "She likes to visit a karaoke bar on the south side of town. She doesn't drink, but everyone there seems to like her very much. You'll have to see for yourself.

"But even that isn't enough without you by her side, Axel. She misses you desperately and intensely. I've watched her from far away; she is anxious for your return. But I need to know something, Axel."

She looked seriously into his eyes and spoke with the authority of a grandmother.

"Will you love Talni for all she is and with all you are?"

Axel knew the answer to that question already; he'd known it since the day he met her, and had time to think about it at Granda's house.

"Yes," he said finally, "My heart was hers when I didn't have one; it's still hers now."

Granda searched his eyes for a moment; then she smiled, satisfied with his answer as the car stopped.

"Axel," she declared, "your journey through the darkness is over. It is time to live in the light."

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She stood in the same place she always did: knee-deep in the shallows of the ocean with the wind catching her short pleated skirt as if teasing the water and playing with her loose hair and the tie on her white shirt (for some reason, she's wearing a high school uniform) while the moonlight filled her eyes until you couldn't tell their color anymore.

She stood that way, her arms limp by her sides, staring up at the moon with such longing, as if willing Yue to drop her beloved in the ocean and let him swim to her. Watching and waiting like this was the only thing that kept her from going insane at night.

She didn't hear the car pull up and stop on the road in the distance behind her. She didn't hear the doors close as two people got out. She didn't sense either presence like she normally would have, especially the one that called her name from the road.

"_TALNI!_"

The sound of his voice broke her trance and she gasped and spun around with wide eyes.

There he was, his long, red spiky hair drifting stiffly on the salt breeze, his eyes illuminated in the moonlight, perfect in his creation.

Her eyes stung for a minute with near-tears and her voice choked for a second, but she coughed to clear it.

"_AXEL!_"

He started to run to her, sliding down a dune while she ran/trudged through the water (it didn't occur to her to bend it out of the way) back to the shore; she tripped for a minute but quickly recovered and soon heard the _piff-piff_ of her feet in the sand. She let her tears fly behind her; he was back, and nothing else mattered right now.

"Axel!" she cried as she jumped into his arms at last; Axel held her lovingly and intensely, neither able to believe the other was real.

"Are you really here?" she asked, pulling back breathlessly to touch his face, "I'm not dreaming?" He smiled and touched her head on the side.

"Not anymore, sweetheart," he said as he took her in with his eyes, "The dream's over; I'm not going anywhere." He slipped his hand into her hair and brought her into the first kiss they'd shared in months. After that, Axel pressed his lips to her forehead while she closed her eyes to let his presence soak back into her soul. She felt him smile.

"Gran lied to me," he breathed.

"What?" she said, pulling back, "What do you mean lied?" Axel kept his amused smile.

"She didn't tell me I'd be returning to a hot high school girl," he answered, referring to her high school outfit.

"Oh," she blushed, "that. You like it?" The way he looked at her suggested the affirmative, and _then_ some. He scooped her up and kissed her passionately while she buried her hands in his hair.

"Well," Granda spoke behind Axel, "You two appear to have much to discuss!"

Axel turned around with Talni in his arms and holding onto his neck, both with smiles big and bright enough to signal a Spanish Armada.

"Obaasan!" Talni lit up, "Axel, put me down for a second!" She scrambled down and hugged Granda fervently.

_"Domo arigato, megami wo mizu,"_ she murmured, _"Domo, domo arigato."_ Granda's eyes wavered happily and she smiled gently with pale pink cheeks as she embraced Talni lovingly. She glanced at Axel, who took one of her hands and knelt to her; she stroked his hair again while Talni cried on her shoulder.

"Precious spirits," she said softly, "I have granted you the gift of life, however mortal it may be. Make your lives mean something; find something or someone to live for, and live each day, each moment, as if it were your last."

"Yes, Granda," Talni wept happily.

"Is this the part where we say 'I Do?'" Axel joked.

"No," Granda chuckled, "That must be between you two. You are both members of the House of Megami, but I did not give you life intending to boss you around. It is your choice how you live."

As the three of them chattered on, Ame watched from further down the beach; her hair fluttered in the wind as she witnessed the memories of the tall redheaded man beside her. Her eyes were full of wonder and thought as she pondered on what Granda had said about living. It opened a new door of understanding for her.

Axel, however, didn't catch on.

"That's the end of it," he said cheerfully, after clearing his throat like he was trying to regain his composure, "Everybody hold hands!"

Before she could speak, his hand slipped across her forehead from behind and he grabbed one of her hands when they flew up in surprise. Another round of white light brought them back to the heart of the rose garden.

Axel then let go of Ame and turned to look at the fountain.

"There's not much after that," he said, "We walked home together, to her house, and Gran came back up here. Talni's been letting me live with her…"

But Ame wasn't listening to his reminiscent rambling; she was tormenting herself inside.

_'After everything she's gone through,'_ she thought, _'All that time that she waited…trying to be strong and build herself as a person…and then finally be reunited with her true love…you berate her for that?'_

"…and while I understand the level of our relationship goes against what _you've_ been taught," he continued, "Talni's her own girl, and I won't apologize for loving her. We chose that path on our own, Miss Blue. It's up to us, and no one else, to choose how we live. That's what Gran told us. Got it memorized?"

Ame spun around and threw her arms around his torso with her face on his chest; she was blushing profusely and crying.

"I'm the one who should apologize, Axel!" she shouted emotionally, "It's none of my business if you live with her or not! I know she's her own person and can make her own decisions! I know how much she loves you! It's just such a shock to me that she's so much older and so different than me!"

Axel gently laid a hand on her head.

"Hey, don't worry about it," he smiled, "I'm positive she knows how you feel."

"I have to go apologize to her," she said, pushing herself away as she wiped her eyes, "I said some horrible things to her and I need to tell her I'm sorry." She bowed to him.

"Thank you for showing me your memories," she said, "I think I understand her a little better now. I have a feeling I'll see you later."

"I have a feeling you're right," Axel nodded, "Good luck with Talni."

"Same to you," she responded, "with Roxas…whenever you choose to see him." She turned on her heel and ran back down the Red Tunnel, reaching out with her mind to locate her Nobody.

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**Author's Review****:**  
Oh, the drama and love and…stuff!

Movie reference: Granda's greeting of "welcome to the real world" is from The Matrix.

A little note here: I do not condone civil unions like Axel and Talni are doing, but I was also taught not to look down on or berate people who are in relationships like that. This chapter was a little piece of my soul there, a bit of my lifelong teaching.

Hope you liked the chapter! Please review!!


	22. Talni's Beach House

Eek! Okay, lately I've been reading people's stories for Labyrinth, a totally awesome movie! So I'm a little distracted right now; sorry. I'm glad you all enjoyed that last chappy! This one's not QUITE as exciting, but it's pretty good, I guess. It involves a special encounter between our favorite waterbender and an unexpected person. Who does she talk to _now?_

_"When all the world is filled with Mother Nature's noises, that's the time to stuff cotton in your ears!"—_Rowlf the Dog, _The Muppet Show_

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**Chapter 21: Talni's Beach House**  
Talni was guiding a horse back to his stall at the stable she worked in; it was after that and as she was walking into her office that the cat appeared at her feet.

It was lavender colored with the palest blue eyes and mewed in greeting. Talni smiled.

"I see you've been practicing your magic," she said to it appreciatively, "Care to step into my office?" The cat nodded and padded beside her; inside, she leapt up and sat on the desk, after which she transformed.

"You recognized my disguise?" Ame asked, sitting with her legs crossed on the desk, "I'll have to work on it."

"I'm your Nobody," Talni shrugged, "I'd probably recognize you no matter what."

"Miss M!" A small girl trotted in with her short ginger hair bouncing behind her, her green eyes lit up and her cheeks flushed from riding. Ame's breath caught as she saw a striking resemblance to one of her schoolmates! The ginger-colored hair, the bright green eyes, the innocent aura bubbling over with sunshine…

"Miss M," she chimed, "Merrylegs says he's ready to go out now! Should I take him?"

"Sure, Sophie," Talni beamed warmly, "Be careful, all right?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Sophie nodded and saw Ame, "Oh! Hello! You're Ame, right?"

"Yeah," replied Ame, "Say, do you know a guy named Daniel Jones, everybody calls him DJ?"

"Oh!" she clicked, "DJ's my big brother! You go to school with him! Should I tell him you said hi?"

"Sure!" Ame smiled, unable not to be happy around this child, "It was a pleasure to meet you, Sophie!" The child blushed a pale, modest pink and her eyes sparkled.

"Oh, no," she curtsied, "Really, the pleasure's all mine! I'm so happy to have met you, Miss Megami!" Now _Ame_ blushed.

"You can just call me Ame," she said.

"Okay, Miss Ame!" Sophie smiled happily, her eyes pinched closed in a beam as she skipped away, whistling on her way to the ponies. Her aura lingered where she'd stood and left Ame mesmerized.

"That's how I felt when I first met her," said Talni affectionately, "She never ceases to amaze me; all the horses love her, especially the ponies. She's like a horse whisperer, literally. She just has this way with them that even a wild stallion couldn't resist." Ame nodded.

"She's definitely special, that one," she murmured, "And speaking of stallions, Talni…" They looked at each other.

"I met yours in the rose garden not more than a half hour ago," Ame finished, "And he showed me some things that made me realize something."

"He didn't destroy the part of your innocence I missed, did he?"

"No," Ame blushed red, "Just hear me out, okay?" She hopped off the desk and stood in front of her (former) Nobody.

"It's none of my business if you're in an adult relationship," she started, "You're an adult—you're allowed to be. It's neither my place nor my right to judge you, especially after what you two went through to be together again. So…I'm sorry."

Her head was bowed and her eyes squinted shut with a red pencil blush across her face like a naughty little girl who's been chided.

_'Don't start crying, you idiot!'_ she thought, _'You're 16! Stop acting like a two-year-old!'_ But she knew by now it was no use yelling at herself as far as crying went; she grabbed Talni around the waist (which was so thin that Ame could hold her own elbows) and dropped the side of her head on her chest.

_"I'm sorry I slapped you, Talni!"_ she cried loudly, the way Kairi had, _"I'm so, so sorry! Waah!"_

"Hey, it's okay, kid," Talni couldn't help chuckling, "Don't worry about it!"

"No, it's not okay!" Ame seemed determined to torment herself with no reprieve whatsoever. "I hit you and I said terrible things to you! I wasn't thinking about everything you had to go through in the realm of darkness, how confusing it must have been in your first hours of 'life,' how scared you must have felt when you fell in love with Axel, how everything you did was to get back to me! You thought only of me the entire time, and all I cared about was how having you as my Nobody would make me look! Whether or not your lifestyle would reflect on me in a bad way, socially."

"I thought you didn't care what people thought of you," Talni said quietly.

"I don't," she sniffed, "I guess I was also worried how it would make Granda look. She gets enough flack already from those old biddies she has tea with."

"About you?" Talni asked.

"About Riku," Ame blushed, "Some of her so-called _'friends'_ don't think the princess of the House of Megami should date middle class boys, but that's not the point! The point is I wasn't thinking about you or your feelings and I'm sorry for that! I'm so sorry!"

"Whoa, calm down, kid!" Talni smiled, "Forget about it! Water under the bridge, okay? I forgive you!" She put her arms around the poor girl's neck and hugged her fondly. As she did, Ame felt a new bond she'd never felt before…the bond between sisters.

If you wanted to get technical about it, they _were_ sisters; they had the same blood, the same body, the same DNA. Their hearts were different, but the bond was there, all the same.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you, Talni," Ame said gently as she breathed the scent of her hair, "Start over?" Talni affectionately ran her hand down the length of her hair.

"Sure," she said, "To start with, I'd like you to do something for me."

"What?" Ame asked.

"You know that really cool beach house on the South Shore that Granda owns?"

"The one with the wrap-around porch and the rooftop balcony?" Ame said, "Yeah, I've been there a couple of times."

"Granda's renting it out to me," Talni explained, "She offered to let me keep it for free, but I figure since I make so much working here, she might as well make a little on the side from this whole transaction. It's beneficial to us both; I live in my own house and learn to be independent, and Grandma makes a little money.

"Anyway, since you know where it is, I want you to go there and talk to the person you'll find on the roof." Ame was a bit confused, but she said, "Um, okay. I'm gonna take one of the horses, if you don't mind."

"Sure, go ahead." A minute later, Ame met with Talni astride a beautiful, middle-aged gray mare with black mane, tail, and hooves.

"I'm taking Madame Giry," she said, "See ya!"

She galloped away on the swift horse, her favorite animal, with her nose pointed south.

* * *

There were three hobbies Ame had that she loved to do more than anything in the world: Waterbending, swimming, and horseback riding. There's no proper way to describe the way horses made her feel; the sheer freedom alone would be an inadequate description. When Ame got on a horse, she felt almost as in her element as she did in the water; riding stirred up her celestial energy in a familiar way. You could tell it in the way the horses seemed to always immediately submit to her, like they understood each other. Her celestial magic allowed her to mentally communicate with animals—not "talk" mentally, just an instinctive understanding. It was this bond (and years of Granda's VIP equestrian training) that allowed Ame to steer Madame Giry to the beach house on the base of a dune on the South Shore. It was the one with the wrap-around porch, after you climbed the long wooden staircase. The house was on strong pillars nearly as tall as paopu trees, buried deep in the sand. The paint job was white with a glossy finish that caught the sun nicely and made it glitter. Ame whistled.

"Nice digs, isn't it, Madame?" she smiled as she pat the mare's neck. The horse snorted and looked back at her as if to ask, "shall we go on, then?" Ame giggled a bit and nudged her forward.

Madame Giry trotted lightly to the bottom of the stairs; Ame gracefully dismounted and tied the rein to the post on the banister. She stroked the horse's soft nose.

"If you need me, just neigh, okay?" she said. Madame Giry gave a short neigh in reply. Ame giggled.

"See you later." She skipped up the long straight staircase to the wrap-around porch that was a nice wood color. The door was yellow with a fancy window in the top center and a shiny gold handle, the kind where you grip the curve and press your thumb on the latch. Ame did so and went in.

Talni's living room was very artistic-looking and well-coordinated, with beautiful furniture that looked like it came from Haverty's. On the wall to the right, over the fireplace, a plasma screen TV was screwed into the wall, as wide as the mantel. Beyond it to the right was the kitchen—black marble floor, bar counter, and a giant silver refrigerator with a ton of room in it. Ame sensed a lingering aura at the dining room table and followed it like a bloodhound tracking a rabbit.

Between the kitchen and the living room was a spiral-patterned iron staircase that wound tightly around its pole. There was also an official flight of stairs to the left, next to the dining room, so Ame took them upstairs. This house was so big it felt like a singles' house, and the second story highlighted that thought.

The stairs she took (which were carpeted) were the kind with a landing halfway up and then went to the right the rest of the way. At the top of the stairs was no hallway, just a big square area with doors in the walls and another tightly-wound staircase in the center. None of the doors mattered; she followed the aural trail up the staircase to another landing with another door.

The afternoon sunlight spilled through as she opened the door to the roof; when her eyes adjusted, they popped open to see a familiar person sitting on the fancy railing surrounding the entire roof, which was flat-surfaced and had an in-ground pool covered up nearby and fancy patio furniture.

She ran to him.

"Roxas!" she said breathlessly, "What are you doing here?"

"Talni sent me here," he answered, "She said she'd send you here, too."

"But why?" she asked as she perched next to him, "How do you know Talni so well?"

"That's why she sent us here," Roxas said, "She wanted me to tell you our story."

_'Another story,'_ Ame moaned to herself, not sure her brain could process another dose of the miraculous events that brought Talni, Roxas, and Axel into her life. It amazed her that they were all connected: Talni was her Nobody and Axel's girlfriend and Roxas' friend and vice versa.

"Go ahead," she sighed gloomily, "My nerves can't get any more fried than they are now." Roxas laughed.

"Well, you've heard bits and pieces, I know that much," he said, "but Talni's asked me to tell you the whole story, and I think it's good for you to hear it from someone you're already familiar with."

"Who better than my favorite dance partner?" she beamed. Roxas nodded at her, then turned his face to the horizon, where the sun was halfway between the sky and the sea, its waters sparkling with its dazzling light in bits and pieces, like diamonds glittering on the surface.

Roxas had one leg hung off the bench-like rail and his other knee up by his head with his forearm resting on it. Ame wondered for a moment if he was remembering sitting this way with Axel on the clock tower in Twilight Town and gave him as long as he needed to collect his thoughts. She got the feeling this would be hard for him to tell.

Finally, he sighed in a resolved, "all right, let's do this" way and began to tell the story of the family that founded itself in the realm of darkness.

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**Author's Review****:**  
I know she pretty much knows everything already from the dreams, but she doesn't know Roxas' side of the story.

Madame Giry, again, is from Phantom of the Opera and Merrylegs is from Black Beauty. I'm pressed for time, so BYE-BYE!!

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	23. Family of Darkness

Remember when I told y'all that I finally got a real job? Well, that's the reason I've been gone so long and I apologize. I'm _cer_tainly not gonna do this stuff at work! Plus, most of y'all are back in school and stuff, so I'm not too worried, but yeesh! It's been a while, so we'll get right back to it!

If you'll remember, Roxas is about to tell Ame his side of the story of Axel and Talni; it'll be cool, I promise! Please leave a review whenever you can and congratulations to all you students on going back to school! HA, HA!

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_"Things aren't always what they seem in this place, so you can't take anything for granted."—_The Worm, _Labyrinth_

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**Chapter 22: Family Of Darkness**  
"Talni was Axel's only recruit the night he brought her to headquarters," Roxas started, "Every guy but me, him, and Xemnas was smitten the second she walked in the room. She was tough; she held her head high around those clowns and could beat them at anything, including DDR."

"Organization XIII had DDR?" Ame asked incredulously.

"Hey, we liked to have fun once in a while, too," Roxas smiled, "And Talni was indestructible and terrifying, especially to Demyx. He tried to hit on her more than any of the others, and she crippled him every time.

"One day Axel took me and her into our training room and made us spar together; he was her supervisor and my guardian, so we did what he said.

"It was pretty good until the music started; someone had stolen her ipod and put a dark spell on a Linkin Park song."

"It was 'Numb,' wasn't it?" Ame asked, "I remember dreaming about that."

"Yeah," he nodded, "She scared me worse than anything I'd ever seen before, which is saying something, since we were on the brink of the dark realm. Her eyes looked cruel and glowed blue and her hair flew around like Medusa's snakes. She wrecked the gym, but Axel managed to subdue her before she could hurt anybody. He carried her out himself and…that's when they had their first kiss.

"I don't think I need to tell you it wasn't too long after that when they got together and started switching between rooms. They didn't go for the whole PDA deal in front of the others, though; even so, it didn't stop the guys from hitting on her.

"Then one day, it was a holiday weekend." His voice took a more somber tone. "Xemnas gave us permission to go anywhere we liked. So Axel said to Talni, 'Let's go away for the weekend. Let's take Roxas and go, just the three of us.' (He smiled.) He talked about us like we were a family; I liked that. We checked into a small hotel in Twilight Town and had ourselves a time. I almost forgot who…and what I was because of them. I even caught myself thinking of Axel as my dad…

"When we got home…and Talni was alone in her room…Xaldin appeared and attacked her. I'm talking lances and attempted rape here…But he didn't get her. It was weird, but…a fire form of Axel popped up and nearly annihilated Xaldin. The walls were on fire so he couldn't escape. Both Xaldin and the fire were gone when we found her."

Roxas ducked his head to his knees, his eyes pinched shut with the pain of the memory.

"She wasn't bleeding," he continued, "Nobodies don't bleed; but the way she looked, she might as well have been. She was naked…" He swallowed. "…her body covered with scratches, slashes, stab marks, any way Xaldin could hurt her with his lances. I had never seen Axel so angry in the entirety of our relationship. He took care of her and put her in bed, leaving me to guard her while he went to thrash Xaldin and turn him in to the boss. Xemnas did _**not**_ look kindly on members abusing each other, no matter what the reason, so he locked Xaldin in a dark chamber for two days as a Dusk."

"That's why Axel is my fire shadow," Ame mused, "Because his bond with Talni protected her from Xaldin. Shadows like that are usually between physical lovers who both have magic powers. So even though I'm a virgin, Axel's fire shadow protects me because Talni was my Nobody. That's the same logic that connects you to the Keyblade." (Because he's Sora's Nobody, remember?)

"You're right," he nodded, "Anyway, soon after that, Granda came to them with a bargain. She gave them a small vial with her own blood in it and told them to drink it precisely at midnight on their last night together; if they did that, then they would be made whole once it was time for them to leave, _and_ she promised she'd bring them back together after a time. Judging by recent events, she made good on her part."

"That's my sobo," Ame beamed fondly, "A true lady never goes back on her word, she says!"

"Yeah, I would know," he said, "I remember the night she left, too…

"She and Axel were talking to Granda. I saw Talni kissing Axel goodbye and I panicked." His eyes glistened and his brows slowly pulled together in a grimace of pain.

* * *

_Roxas hit the ground running, leaving a hole in the mist where his feet had landed. He ran as fast as he could to reach her before she left. She __**couldn't**__ go without saying goodbye to __**him,**__ could she?__**Talni!"**__ he screamed as he reached them. He bent over to catch his breath._

_"Roxas!" she exclaimed as she went to him._

_"You…" he panted, "were going…to leave…without—saying goodbye?" Talni helped him upright._

_"I never say goodbye, Roxas," she said, "Even though I won't be coming back to this world, we won't be separated forever."_

_Roxas clutched her around her waist and buried his face on her shoulder; he didn't want her to see him crying, but she knew anyway. She hugged him back around his neck._

_"Don't stay here, Roxas," she murmured, "You're too precious to let yourself fade to the darkness. You're strong and brave and loyal. Don't let Xemnas turn you into something you're not. Go—find your true self, learn why the Keyblade chose you, find your own happiness. Can you do that?"_

_He nodded mutely._

_"What about Axel?" he asked as he pulled back._

_"Axel's a big boy," she smiled as she cupped his chin, "He can take care of himself; we have Granda's promise. If you believe in the promise and trust the heart you came from, we'll all be together again. That's my promise to you, Roxas." She kissed his forehead and held him again, her fingers scrunching his hair._

_"I do love you, kid," she said fondly, "You're a good boy. Don't ever change that."_

_"Okay," Roxas barely managed to whisper before letting her step back next to the old spirit woman._

_"Ready?" she asked. Talni nodded and they took hands and held them up as the light magic whirled around them. Talni looked at Axel with unconditional love in her eyes. The light covered her._

_"Ai suru," she said, her voice echoing, "Itsumo…ai suru."_

* * *

Roxas sat quietly with his eyes closed while Ame watched him, her fingertips delicately pressed to the top of his hand. She'd watched his last memory of Talni in the realm of darkness and she didn't know what to say to him.

"She kept her promise, too," she finally said. Roxas nodded.

"I'm glad she's back," he smiled, "And I'm _really_ glad Axel's back. He came to see me here earlier and told me to stay as long as I liked. Now I know why."

"How strange that we're all so closely connected," Ame mused, "You and Axel are best friends, Axel and Talni are together, Talni and I are sisters, and you and I are friends. I like it."

"Me, too," said Roxas, "We've got a lot to thank your grandma for." Ame nodded happily, her eyes on the sunset as it sparkled in her eyes.

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**Author's Review****:  
**Whew! Was that intense, or what? Now we all know why Axel is Ame's fire shadow and why she saw black dred locks in that one chapter in her brain (see chapter…what? Ten?)

Okay, translation note: _Ai suru itsumo_ is Japanese for "I love you always."

Hope you liked this! Love you guys!


	24. Virgin Daiquiris

Holy crap, you guys; I am SO sorry for not updating sooner! Life got in the way for a bit, but I'm back with another chapter, which is coincidentally the final chapter in this entire story! I know, I know, I'm sad about it, too. But all stories have an ending, and I hope you'll like this one.

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_"I will love you until my dying day."_—Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman, _Moulin Rouge_

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**Chapter 23: Virgin Daiquiris**  
Her inner revelry was cut off when a hand plopped down on her head.

"Having fun, kids?" Axel beamed.

"Yep!" Roxas answered, "Just swapping stories about your girlfriend!" Ame's face sizzled; did he have to say it like that?

"Well, you're gonna have to scram, kid," Axel said, "Angel's looking for you." Roxas' face lit up and he said good night and bee-lined it for home. Axel chuckled and took his spot next to Ame.

"Angel?" she asked.

"That's my nickname for Naminé," he said.

"Do all of us have nicknames?" she asked.

"Just you girls," he smiled, "You're Blue, Naminé's Angel, and Kairi's Princess. Listen, though; I want to show you something, in case you still have any doubts about Talni."

"Okay." Whether or not she did was irrelevant at this point; she was curious now. She sent Madame Giry back to the stables and followed Axel through a black portal. When she stepped out, her eyes popped and she yelped. They stood before a bar called The Purple Monkey.

"You brought me to _Wild Vine?"_ she hissed with his ear between her thumb and fingers, "This is the _adult_ district! _No_ one under 18 comes here! Are you out of your _mind?"_

"If you'll let go of my ear for a second," Axel said in a painful voice. She did and transformed into a cat with the color of her hair in her fur.

"Just follow me and keep quiet," he said as he walked in, the Ame-cat close at his heels.

She immediately saw Talni on a karaoke stage, rocking out to Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats." All the women were singing along and beating the tables in time; Talni was having fun, too.

"Okay!" she said as the cheering died down, "That one goes out to all you lady fans whose man done you wrong! _This _one…" She strapped on an acoustic guitar. "…to tone it down a bit…(smirk)…is for anybody who's just gone through a break-up…and starting to get better."

Ame hopped up on the bar counter by Axel, who sat on a stool as he watched. The crowd cheered as Talni started up, her voice strong and full of promise of healing.

_Now that it's all said and done,  
I can't believe you were the one  
to build me up then tear me down  
like an old abandoned house_

"Look at some of these folks here, Blue," Axel said quietly, "All walks of life, and they've all got problems. Look at their faces."

A woman cried silently with her eyes covered by one hand; a man stared into a mug of beer, watching his memories swim in the gold liquid. Another woman stared at Talni as she sang; she could feel the words write themselves on her heart. Many more were cheering and singing along. Ame knew that look in the woman's eyes; she'd seen it in so many others before.

"She's giving them hope," she mused.

_Well, I never saw it coming  
I should've started running  
a long, long time ago _

And I never thought I'd doubt you  
I'm better off without you  
more than you, more than you know

"That's what she does for people here," Axel told her, "She sings for them to heal them. She wants to help them the best way she can, and this is that way. That's why people…and I…love her so much."

"And she doesn't drink?" she asked amazingly. He smiled.

"There's only one thing she drinks here," he answered, "And it's her nickname here, too—Virgin Daiquiri. She likes the strawberry ones."

"I…I didn't know," Ame said quietly, her cat ears drooping, "I never thought she could be so kind." Axel smiled fondly at her and scratched her kitty head.

"That surprises me," he said, "She was your Nobody." Ame purred with her eyes pinched shut. As she watched her new sister weave a song of healing, she remembered the words of Clarence Oddbody, the guardian angel from "It's A Wonderful Life."

_"Strange, isn't it…One man's life can touch so many others." _

'Cause the day I thought I'd never get through,  
I got over you!

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**EPILOGUE****!**  
Talni and Axel got married. All the Keyblade kids were in the wedding party, with Ame as the Maid of Honor. At the reception, she performed a waterbender's interpretive dance of their story. Their wedding dance was "Can't Get Enough of You, Baby" by Smash Mouth. They had four children—Axel Jr., nicknamed "Jory," Rinoa, nicknamed "Rin," Olan (a boy), and Suna, a girl. The older kids are redheaded firebenders and the younger ones are purple-haired waterbenders.

Not long after, Granda remarried Ansem. They had their honeymoon in Radiant Garden and Disney Castle, and they now own the Old Mansion in Twilight Town. They use it as a landmark meeting place, mostly for saving-the-world circumstances.

Talni met the girl on the beach whose clothes she took. Her name is Mia, and they are now friends.

Ame fixed her problem with the boys through methods that cannot be revealed on pain of death. She is now teaching her friends horseback and works part time at Kip's Jewelers.

Mr. Bevilaqua won the Destiny Island Annual Bass Fishing Tournament for the eighth year in a row. He practices bending with Ame on some weekends.

Dennis was transferred to a boys' school. He has a crippling fear of fire and shadows and is sterile.

DJ fell in love with Saila from the swim team. They've been dating for two months.

Mizuko finally became a guardian angel. Her charge: Susan Rioka Hakari, Riku's mother!

The Keyblade Gang graduated high school, starting with Riku and Ame. Naminé was Valedictorian of her class; Kairi was their Prom Queen.

They're all starting college next year. Sora and Kairi were accepted into Palm Island College, Destiny Island's premier college campus. Roxas is going to Twilight Town Community College, as are Hayner, Pence, and Olette. Riku, Ame, and Naminé are going to Radiant Garden University. They'll all be staying in the Old Mansion of Twilight Town via magical transportation.

Riku is proposing to Ame.

Tonight.

THE END

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**Author's Review****:**

I bow at your applause and accept your praise! (crickets chirping) Hello? LOL!

I hope you all liked that story! I had fun writing it! BUT I'M NOT GONE FOREVER! I'm currently working on my next fic, which WILL be epic. It will be entitled "Hunt For The Hearts," and I'm NOT GONNA TELL YOU ANY MORE!

Okay, references: That "Riku is proposing tonight" thing is from "Legally Blonde."

The Purple Monkey bar was named after Peanut, star puppet of comedian/ventriloquist Jeff Dunham (VERY funny guy!)

I don't think I need to tell you about that line from Clarence from "It's A Wonderful Life." I hope everyone's seen that.

So, yeah: Review but don't stop reading my stuff, please! I will be back with more, I'm just about to try my hand at _Labyrinth_. If anyone's a fan of that movie, then please follow me on that journey as well. And don't worry: I AM WORKING ON ANOTHER KH FIC. It's just taking a while to write (tee, hee!).

I am once again your humble servant,

-samuraistar .


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